Christina Grimmie's life celebrated at memorial service

MEDFORD - An uplifting memorial service for slain singer Christina Grimmie began and ended with special music, but no guest singer performed it.

Those who came to pay their last respects to the rising pop star were greeted by the familiar voice of Grimmie herself as she sang and played the keyboard on two video screens above the stage of the South Jersey church where she often worshiped.

The songs were about love and Christian salvation — the same two themes of the service where friends, family and other fans heard those closest to Grimmie recount their memories of the singer and her faith and love of Jesus above all else.

WATCH: Memorial service for Christina Grimmie

Thousands of fans and friends said tearful goodbyes Friday to Grimmie, a rising pop star from South Jersey who was gunned down by a stranger a week ago while signing autographs after a concert in Orlando, Fla.

Mourners arrived in a steady stream throughout the day during a five-hour visitation for the public that preceded an emotional, inspirational memorial service at Fellowship Alliance Chapel in Medford.

Grimmie, who was raised in Evesham and attended Cherokee High School, left Burlington County in 2012 and moved to southern California to accelerate her singing career. But she still considered Marlton her home despite a red-hot music career that included stardom on NBC’s “The Voice.”

It was Grimmie’s beloved voice that opened the memorial service: a recording of her performing “In Christ Alone,” which senior chapel pastor Marty Berglund said was “one of her favorites.”

At the service, Grimmie's tearful mother, Tina, had one question about the death of her 22-year-old daughter: "Why?"

Her mother, who is battling cancer, said she wasn't mad about the tragedy but admitted she isn't strong. "I tell you I am weak ... and declare  my dependence on Jesus Christ."

Berglund had an answer about the why: God allows human beings to make choices. Some make "horrible choices," he said, referring to the gunman, but Grimmie chose Christ and now has eternal life.

Grimmie's father, Bud, said: "There is this gigantic hole in my heart that's never going to go away, but God is bigger than the hole."

He said he knows he will see her again in heaven. "She is way better off now. She is not going to be hurt anymore ... (and) God's plan is better than my plan.

"I can't even plan dinner," he joked. His wife interjected, "I know you can't!" in just one of a number of lighter moments that prompted audience laughter during the nearly 90-minute service.

Grimmie's brother Marcus, who witnessed the murder, had only a few words at Friday's service.

"When the gunman came, her arms were open to him," he said. "Her arms were open all the time. All I'm going to say is thank God for the mark she left on this world. It's more and more clear to me now than ever before."

Orlando police identified her killer as Kevin James Loibl, 27, of St. Petersburg, Fla., who was waiting in the autograph line to see Grimmie after the show that night. Police have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, but police described Loibl as possibly a deranged fan.

Immediately after shooting Grimmie several times, Loibl was tackled by her brother, Marcus, 23, who often accompanied her on tour; the gunman shot and killed himself during the struggle. Police said Marcus Grimmie potentially saved other lives with his heroic act.

Loibl brought two handguns, two loaded magazines and a hunting knife with him into the building. He didn't have a criminal record, nor did he have a permit for firearms.

Orlando Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Wanda Miglio said this week she had no updates to release about the investigation. An autopsy report has not been made available.

Grimmie became a YouTube sensation as a teenager by singing renditions of songs by other artists, then won more acclaim after placing third in the 2014 season of "The Voice" with Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine as her coach. Since then, she amassed almost 3.5 million YouTube subscribers.

The singer and keyboard player also sang on "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." She had been the opening act for Selena Gomez and other singers in recent years, as she was on June 10 with the band Before You Exit during her final performance, at The Plaza Live in Orlando, where she was killed.

Berglund, the pastor, said a private burial for Grimmie was held Thursday night for family and friends.

"The family felt as if that is she was a private person and that is what she would have wanted," he said.

Before the service Friday, many visitors waited hours in line to pay respects to family members who stood in front of a stage decorated with floral bouquets and photos of Grimmie as her songs played on the chapel's sound system.

Her brother and their parents alternated as family greeters during the five hours as pictures celebrating Grimmie's life flashed on two screens mounted above the stage.

Among the mourners were many fans of the singer.

Garrett Lang of Pennsylvania said Grimmie's cover of "It Will Rain" made "a real impact" on his life and helped him out of a bad place after breaking up with a girlfriend.

Lang and several others who attended the viewing were members of a fan group called Team Grimmie. They said it was a community much more connected than a typical fan club.

"What I liked about her most was she didn't just treat her fans like fans, she treated them more special than fans," Lang said. "She treated them like friends or like family members, even without knowing them."

One mourner who arrived early in the day, a 21-year-old fan, said she traveled all the way from Germany to say goodbye.

At the service Grimmie's aunt Kathy Durrow called her niece's death "unreal" and recalled memories like the gingerbread cookies Grimmie always wanted her to make. "Her joy was contagious. That's why we loved her."

The service ended with a video of Grimmie performing "With Love," the title song on her only studio album, which she co-wrote and released in 2013.

Mayor Randy Brown and other Evesham government officials were among those at the chapel.

"A senseless killing took one of the brightest stars our town has ever produced," Brown told reporters, calling Grimmie "one of most adorable, loving, human beings I've ever been around."

Both before and after fame, those who knew Grimmie called her humble.

"I didn't know she had a YouTube channel until people were saying it," said Gabrielle Grudza of Marlton, who sang with Grimmie at Cherokee High School.  "She knew she could sing but she wasn't bragging about it."

Faith was very important to Grimmie and she never compromised her beliefs for the music industry, Grudza said.

Another mourner, Barb Rose, who taught Grimmie in middle school, said she seemed like the same "sweet" person she was before becoming famous.

nother mourner, church leader Ken Gardner, said he promoted Grimmie to people within his Somerset congregation because of her positive message. But Grimmie's death makes him question his faith, he said.

"You can't think about what could have, should have been," he said, "even though you do."

Christina Grimmie was more than a 'Voice' to fans

The service was the second time this week that the community gathered to mourn Grimmie.

Evesham police estimated 500 people attended a vigil held for her Monday night in her hometown, when her brother and several of her closest friends spoke at Memorial Park. They asked that she be remembered for more than her musical talent, calling her a selfless and caring Christian who loved people, especially her fans, and animals.

Levine this week offered to pay the expenses for Grimmie's funeral.

Grimmie had multiple album and single releases in the top 10 on iTunes, and won an American Music Association award in 2011 for New Media: Best Female. She also had early success with her first independent EP release, "Find Me," debuting at No. 2 on iTunes.