Adam Levine and his team of hopefuls on The Voice paid tribute to Christina Grimmie on last night’s episode. The former contestant on the singing competition was killed by an armed and unstable fan during an autograph-signing session in Orlando last June.
Levine and his team sang “Hey Jude” in tribute to the late singer before announcing that The Voice was starting a foundation in Grimmie’s honor that would benefit families dealing with the fallout of gun violence and breast cancer.
“God, I loved her so much,” Levine said while introducing the song, before addressing Grimmie’s family in the audience. “I am talking to you guys specifically, I’m talking to everybody. I miss her. It is unfair she is not here. We are going to sing a little song. I am going to be singing every word to her in her honor. Thank you for being here. Christina, we love you.”
After the performance, Voice host Carson Daly and Levine announced the aforementioned foundation.
“As you know, family is very, very important to us here at The Voice and last year we tragically lost one of our own, the incredibly talented and beautiful Christina Grimmie,” Daly said. “Tonight, in memory of our good friend and along with Christina’s family, we’re honored to help announce the creation of the Christina Grimmie Foundation, benefiting those impacted by gun violence and families, just like her own, affected by breast cancer,” he continued. “Thank you for letting us be a part of this very important moment. And Christina, we feel your spirit here at The Voice every single day and we love and miss you dearly.”
The performance is far from the first time that Levine has paid tribute to his late mentee. After the shooting, Levine personally contacted Grimmie’s family and offered to pay for her funeral.
