I woke up early this morning to the devastating news that Christina Grimmie, “The Voice” contestant who we’d recently had the absolute pleasure of interviewing for Good Celebrity, was attacked and killed by lone gunman after a show at The Plaza Live in Orlando.
Our hearts and prayers go out to Christina’s family, especially her brother Mark who’d accompanied Christina to our studio and is being called a ‘hero’ for immediately tackling the shooter, who then shot and killed himself.
Christina was an absolute delight to interview. She and her brother Mark arrived with her publicist, snacked and hung out for a while in makeup while shooting the breeze with me about everything from video games to her time on “The Voice” and touring with other artists like Selena Gomez. Mark wore pizza socks, (socks with pizzas on them) which we had a lot fun with. Both Christina and Mark were completely down to earth & funny, and you could tell they were the best of friends.
We started with filming Christina’s performance, which was nothing short of amazing. In-between takes, she’d joke around and try different versions and melodies of her songs. In fact, on a whim she decided to play her song “With Love” in a completely different key than she ever had before. This version was ultimately the performance we published, unique and 100% original, and a truly special gift from Christina to Good Celebrity. I’ll never forget it, and am so thankful to have experienced her talent up close and SO personally. Her incredible music filled every inch of our space.
I will think fondly of my time and experience with Christina, a truly good person and good celebrity taken far, far too soon.
-AR