Pastor Marty Berglund of the Fellowship Alliance Chapel said the burial service for the “Voice” star was a quiet, private affair.
Grimmie’s close friends and family spent the time, “sharing together, praying together, crying together, laughing together.”
Berglund said the decision to have the funeral Thursday was made partly for security reasons, but mainly because Christina was a private person and the family believed that it was what she would have wanted.
‘The Voice’ star Christina Grimmie’s funeral to be held in N.J.
A photograph of the singer stood at the center of the stage of the Fellowship Alliance Chapel, surrounded by bouquets of red and purple flowers.
Thousands of friends, fans, and family members filed past the picture to offer their sympathy to the young woman’s family.
"All the rumors are true, that when the gunman came he was very quick," Grimmie’s brother, Marcus Grimmie, told the crowd. "It happened so fast that her arms were open. That's how she treated everyone she knew. Her arms were open to them at all times.
"I love you Christina. You were the best," he said.
Grimmie’s songs played quietly in the background, providing a touching soundtrack to the somber occasion.
The public memorial was held one week to the day since the 22-year-old singer was shot to death by an obsessed fan as she signed autographs after a show in Orlando.
Grimmie’s assailant turned his gun on himself after being tackled by her brother.
Many at the service Friday struggled to accept the tragic loss, none more than her parents.
“I want to share what I’ve shared with several people here and that’s there’s this gigantic hole in my heart that I know is never going to go away,” Grimmie’s father, Bud Grimmie said. “But God showed me that he’s way bigger than that hole.”
“She was a beautiful person and had a wonderful voice,” said family friend Ed Mason, 48, of Levittown, Pa.
“It’s rough,” he said of Grimmie’s family. “But they’ll get through it with a lot of love and a lot of faith.”
Barbara Orlan, of Voorhees, N.J., remembered Christina for her magnetic personality.
“A sweet, warm, wonderful person,” she said. “She was amazing. So down to earth. Things like this shouldn’t happen.”
Garrett Lang, 23, of Bloomberg, Pa., stood in a massive line leading into the church with a small bouquet of flowers in his hand.
He said that Grimmie’s music was instrumental in helping him through a painful breakup.
“I wouldn’t have been able to get through the hard times like I did without her,” he said. “I wanted to come and show support for the entire family.”
Grimmie rose to fame while still a teenager due to her popular YouTube videos and her third place finish on the “Voice.”
In a fitting nod to Grimmie’s online stardom, the family allowed the service to be livestreamed, giving fans of the YouTube sensation a chance to say a final farewell.
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