#RIPChristina

Today was just a normal day; I went to work, did my usual thing and then I took my break. As I do, I checked my social media apps for any news or gossip when I suddenly saw the hashtag R.I.P Christina. This year alone we have lost so many legends, so I had to prepare myself for which Christina it could be. In all honesty I never even considered Christina Grimmie. And why would I? She was a young up and coming star who was only 22 years old. A lot of people we have lost over the last few months were a lot older or were living with some terrible disease, so when I clicked on the hashtag for more details I was floored to see the fallen star's full name. At first I instantly thought about who would create this disgusting joke, it didn't seem believable by any stretch of the imagination. It hit me harder than I could of expected, she was so young.

You can be forgiven for not been too aware of the talent that was Christina Grimmie. I myself discovered her about five years ago on YouTube and became instantly hooked. She was popular for the covers she did of other people's songs, her voice was transcendent. She hit notes one could only dream of, the soul in her voice would bring out emotions and she did it with a style all of her own. She could sing amazingly, play piano like a pro and her personality added this whole other layer to her that when you saw her you couldn't help but like her. She was this mashup of gamer girl aesthetic and diva vocals - something to behold. She later released original music which I actually bought (these were the days before streaming became my number one source for music). I instantly fell for the song 'Liar Liar' on her first record, I knew she was one to watch. I followed her on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and never looked back, I had to be there for when she released new music.

Things started to take off for her, she was selling records, getting millions of views on YouTube and she was even invited to tour with Selena Gomez. As an unsigned artist she auditioned for the US version of The Voice. She blew everyone away on her first audition, no surprise there, and got all four chairs to turn around. She came third out of the thousands of aspiring singers that applied. She became more popular than ever, released more original music and was always on tour.

Then today, May 12th, I found out the horrible news. She died. Some despicable excuse for a human decided to take it upon themselves to end her life. They were able to convince themselves that this is what they had to do, a young woman who has never been the centre of any controversy, never had to apologise for anything she said or did and only supplied entertainment for the world and brought awareness to charities and causes she supported had to die. Right now there is no information on the person who pulled the trigger, I don't know if they had mental health issues, we don't know what happened to make this event unfold. We may never actually know anything because the person killed themselves straight after. After been taken down by Christina's brother he turned the gun on himself. Coward.

My heart goes out to her family and friends, this should never have happened - most obvious sentence I think I have ever written. Her brother should be known as the hero he is, if it wasn't for his quick actions who knows what other devastation the shooter could of created. I read one person compared Christina to Ali, Prince and Bowie saying she wasn't a legend - and they are right. She wasn't, she was cruelly ripped from this world before she got the chance. She was 22. She had so much to do and look forward to, it was all stolen from her. Her many fans around the world know what a special woman she was, what she brought every week on to her YouTube channel and everytime she hit the stage. She was only going to get bigger and better.

As a British person I think I have a similar opinion to a lot of my fellow Brits when it comes to gun control. I can't comprehend how it is a right to bear arms. I don't believe they should be banned as they are some people's only means for security and I get that but my god there needs to stricter guidelines and monitoring. They need to know who they are allowing to hold these weapons, they need to know that the person who is receiving the gun is of sound mind and has the capabilities to keep the gun secure and out the way of other people. In the UK I wouldn't even know where to get a gun from, I don't know how you apply to get one and I don't know when you have the right to use it, if at all. I am not saying stricter gun control would end all gun violence but it has to help the situation, it is rare to hear of gun violence here and yet it seems to be weekly if not more frequently in America - they have to know this.

I don't want Christina to only be known as a victim of poor gun control, but if anything can come from this I hope it is awareness. Christina should be remembered for her flawless vocals, her stellar stage presence, her charity work, her fight for causes and her god given talent she shared with us all.

Rest in peace Christina.

Please enjoy these performances

Wrecking Ball

Titanium

Liar Liar

Who Says

Robin Williams - A Quick Thank You

Two days ago we lost a great man. I don't know how official the cause of his death is but as I believe it was suicide. Many people will struggle with the thought of how someone who appears to have everything could do this to themselves. In our society we view money, fame and face value as been the epitome of happiness. However these things are all fake. These aren't things that make us who we are, these are just things we have or can get. Robin Williams is proof of this. A man that has made millions of people laugh struggled everyday with depression, he made billions at the box office, sold out stand up show after stand up show and without a doubt will forever remind people of the happier moments of their childhood.

So the point of this post is to thank him. Whatever struggles he may have had in his life, it never stopped him. Yes, he had to work like the rest of us to make a living, but he could have done anything. He chose to give himself to the public as an entertainer. And what a hell of an entertainer he was. He made us laugh and cry for all the right reasons, when he wasn't playing a character he was still entertaining us with interviews and appearances. He will go down as one of the greats whether we remember him as an alien called Mork or a Father who dresses as a woman to see his kids and called himself Mrs Doubtfire. We all have a place in our heart for one his characters. Mr Williams was harmless, he never offended anyone publicly. He just beamed happiness and love.

It is absolutely heartbreaking that he wasn't actually happy. He struggled with an illness that is so hard to understand unless you are suffering or around someone suffering. One thing that people need to know is that depression is not a flaw in character, it is a flaw in chemistry. I find it so hard to get my head around the fact that his only choice was to end it all. He didn't see any other way to escape it. I got very emotional at the idea that someone, anyone could think this way.

Once again thank you. Thank you Mr Williams. We are forever in your debt for the years of entertainment, the childhood memories and for creating an escape for us all when we don't want be distracted by real life anymore. I only wish that you are finally at peace. Also even in your last act you are helping people. You have made a taboo subject a part of conversation all around the world. Maybe just maybe because of you, people will seek help and support.

I am gutted that we only have four movies left of his to experience for the first time. However we will always have the memories. Thank you Robin, I sincerely hope you are now at peace.