Fans of Christina Grimmie in disbelief over her death
She was loved by her fans.
Many of them had watched her rise over the years from a small-time YouTube singer to be a well-known star.
But yesterday, fans of US singer Christina Grimmie were devastated to learn that she was killed doing what she loved.
The 22-year-old singer was signing autographs for fans after performing with the band Before You Exit at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida, when she was killed by an unidentified gunman who later turned the gun on himself.
As the news broke, her young Singaporean fans, many of whom had attended her concert here at the Float@Marina Bay last year, took to social media to express their disbelief.
Student Cathy Teo, 15, said: "I've listened to her since 2010 when she was making covers on YouTube. I'm still in shock, please tell me this is just a bad prank."
At 10pm yesterday, "RIPChristina" was the top trending topic in Singapore on Twitter, with more than 1.5 million tweets.
Miss Shermaine Lee, 19, a student, said she saw the hashtag and was wondering which Christina it was referring to, only to realise later that it was about her idol.
TRAGIC
"I was thinking, 'But she's so young, how could she have died?' Then I read that she was shot, which made it even more tragic," she said.
KILLED: Singer Christina Grimmie was shot dead by an unidentified gunman yesterday. PHOTO: AFP"I went to seek solace by reading tweets of her. I'm going to go home and read up more and mull over it."
Grimmie rose to stardom after finishing third on the sixth season of the US singing competition The Voice in 2014.
She was also a popular YouTube singer before going on the show, with several of her videos having chalked up millions of views.
Mr Covey Tan, 20, a student, likened Grimmie's death to losing a friend.
"I felt as if a friend of mine had just been killed," he said.
"This is someone who talked to us (through her videos), someone who frequently popped up on my Instagram showing her trips around the world and the numerous concerts that she performed at.
"I'm at a loss for what to feel."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now