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Our interest here in singer, songwriter and US NBC The Voice competitor Christina Grimmie is rather peripheral, which makes news of her fatal shooting by a previously unacquainted killer no less saddening.
Police investigators in Orlando, Florida, have yet to uncover a motive for gunman Kevin James Loibl's actions. He had apparently set out to kill her on June 10th 2016, armed with several weapons and travelling two hours across the US state to reach her. Outside concert hall The Plaza Live, Christina Grimmie and rock band Before You Exit were signing autographs, posing for pictures and chatting with those who had come to watch them perform that night. Or merely to be there meeting them afterwards. A voracious updater of social media (wherein she'd grown to fame as a star on YouTube), Christina had encouraged folk to pop down and say hello, if they could. It was fun, exciting, a happy and friendly event; eye-witnesses said she opened her arms to hug Loibl as he approached upon his turn to do so. He opened fire and killed her, then shot himself dead too. A sickening, senseless story, as I'm certain most here will agree. But what has it got to do with us? The fact is that Christina Grimmie was one of us. For all her celebrity and meet and greet press of crowds vying for a moment in her company, she was also a Death Note fan. Who got excited when she was able to wear her L cosplay while recording a music video. That's what she took to social media about at the time, that's what she wanted to share - not the fact that she was making the promo for her own song Shrug. A notion no doubt met wryly by more than a few of us with the ability to chuck an L cosplay together from the contents of our wardrobes, but not film a music video to transmit to thousands, who wanted to actually hear us sing our songs. |
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Seventy weeks before she was killed, Christina Grimmie sat with friends and watched the last episode of the Death Note anime. As so many of us have done, and like us all, it was viewed with gleeful anticipation, as her Instagram snapshot confirms. An event worth recording. An excuse for a party. One of us.
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Just over a year ago, she was showing us Mello, L and Near on her computer's wallpaper and telling us it makes her happy. I don't know about you, but I've got Mello on my PC background image and it makes me happy. For the record, I've also got Matt as a theme on my browser. It also makes me happy. The purpose of all this? No matter how remote and star-studded, scratch the surface and we're all the same. If not in the specifics, then the generalities certainly: one fan likes Mello, another L, a third is Team Kira, a fourth is for Mikami, a fifth prefers Naruto and the last can't stand manga/anime, but has a passion for NASCAR. In the passion, we find points of commonality with all humankind, regardless of its focus. In tears and love too, we touch the same, no matter that we might not grieve or infatuate our hearts upon identical loves. Different subjects irritate; things distastefully seen or grinding sentiments heard might drive us to fury according to our own perspectives; yet she share with all that well of anger ready to propel us into attempting to improve our world as per our lights. No-one is so alien to our very own humanity that they should be hunted down and shoot for whatever motive. Christina Grimmie might have been a glittering star in the limelight and a vivacious entertainer. But she was also somebody's daughter, somebody's sister - her brother nearly died trying to save her - somebody's friend and confidante. And she was a Death Note fan just like us. We are bereft, one down tonight, and that has to do with us all. |
