Ariana Grande paid tribute to the people who lost their lives in the Manchester bombing on the 4th anniversary of the attack.
On May 22, 2017, a bomber killed 22 people and injured more than 500 at her concert in the U.K. city. The pop star spoke about her grief on social media to honor her fallen fans.
“Although grief is ever present and our relationship to it is constantly evolving and expressing itself in different ways every day, year round…. I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one. Please know that I am thinking of you today,” Grande wrote.
Grande included the names of the 22 people who were tragically killed.
“Manchester, my heart is with you today and always,” she continued, “John Atkinson, Courtney Boyle, Philip Tron, Kelly Brewster, Georgina Callander, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Liam Curry, Chloe Rutherford, Wendy Fawell, Martyn Hett, Alison Howe, Lisa Lees, Megan Hurley, Nell Jones, Michelle Kiss, Angelika Klis, Marcin Klis, Sorrell Leczkowski, Eilidh MacLeod, Elaine McIver, Saffie Rose Roussos, Jane Tweddle.”
Ariana immediately suspended her tour after the attack but returned to the strong city less than two weeks later to headline the One Love Manchester benefit concert. The concert also featured Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Niall Horan among others and raised $13 million for the people affected by the bombing.
In November of 2018, Grande spoke about the attack in an open letter to her fans. “May 22, 2017 will leave me speechless and filled with questions for the rest of my life,” she wrote at the time.
“Music is an escape. Music is the safest thing I’ve ever known. Music — pop music, stan culture — is something that brings people together, introduces them to some of their best friends, and makes them feel like they can be themselves. It is comfort. It is fun. It is expression. It is happiness. It is the last thing that would ever harm someone. It is safe,” she said. “When something so opposite and so poisonous takes place in your world that is supposed to be everything but that… it is shocking and heartbreaking in a way that seems impossible to fully recover from.”
“The spirit of the people of Manchester, the families affected by this horrendous tragedy, and my fans around the world have permanently impacted all of us for the rest of our lives.”
