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Adam Levine Offers to Pay for Funeral of Former ‘Voice’ Contestant Christina Grimmie

Grimmie was killed after her Orlando concert on Friday

by
Jesse Bernstein
June 14, 2016
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Clear Channel
Christina Grimmie (L) and Adam Levine at iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, California, August 26, 2014.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Clear Channel
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Clear Channel
Christina Grimmie (L) and Adam Levine at iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, California, August 26, 2014.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Clear Channel

Amid one of the darker news cycles of recent memory, one particular glimmer of light flickered brightly, lifting, if even for a second, the weight of the massacre in Orlando.

Last Friday, Christina Grimmie, a contestant on season six of NBC’s The Voice, was shot and killed at a fan meet-and-greet after a show in Orlando. The assailant, who had traveled from St. Petersburg that day, shot Grimmie before turning the gun on himself. Grimmie was rushed to the hospital, where she died early on Saturday morning.

Grimmie, 22, was a YouTube star who was propelled to fame by her strong performances on The Voice (she finished third in season six). Grimmie’s mentor on the show was Adam Levine.

Levine, People’s 2013 Sexiest Man Alive, posted a picture of the two on Instagram on Friday night, while Grimmie was still in critical condition. “I’m sad, shocked and confused,” wrote Levine. “We love you so much Grimmie. We are all praying hard that you can pull through this…this just isn’t fair.”

The Maroon 5 frontman and Voice judge/coach/giant chair-turner has since offered to pay Grimmie’s funeral expenses. Grimmie’s brother, Mark, expressed his gratitude in a Facebook post as well, writing “I found out this morning that Adam Levine personally called my mother and said he will pay for the funeral and her plane flight, and I was blown away.”

So, in wake of a monumentally depressing weekend, remember that even the guy who sang “Moves Like Jagger” is filled with menschlichkeit, and you can be, too.

Jesse Bernstein is a former Intern at Tablet.