Ariana Grande pays tribute to victims of Manchester bombing, 4 years after incident left 22 dead, hundreds injured
Ariana Grande is reflecting on the “ever-present” grief she has felt since a bombing left 22 people dead at one of her concerts in Manchester, England four years ago.
On Saturday, Grande marked the somber anniversary with a post shared on her Instagram Stories.
The “No Tears Left to Cry” singer wrote that she’s thinking about the city during this difficult time of remembrance.
“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,” she wrote.
“Manchester, my heart is with you today and always,” she continued, adding the names of those who died in the attack.
A simple, but effective, graphic shows 22 bees in the shape of a heart.
According to the Manchester Evening News, worker bees are often used as a symbol that “came to represent the city’s indomitable spirit following the Arena bombing.”
On May 22, 2017, an attack by a 22-year-old suicide bomber at Britain’s Manchester Arena killed 22 and left more than 500 injured, police said at the time.
The tragic incident led the then-23-year-old singer to immediately suspend her tour.
Two weeks later, on June 4, she returned to the city for a star-studded benefit concert, which included Miley Cyrus, Katie Perry, Justin Bieber, the Black Eyed Peas, among others.
The show was live-streamed around the globe and raised $13 million for those affected by the tragedy.
A year later, Grande shared in her YouTube series “Dangerous Woman Diaries” a letter she had written to her friends earlier that year.
“It’s been eight months since the attack at our show at the Manchester Arena. It’s impossible to know where to start or to know what to say about this part,” she wrote. “May 22, 2017, will leave me speechless and filled with questions for the rest of my life.”
In the summer of 2019 Grande returned to the city as the headliner for the Manchester LGBTQ Pride festivities.
“Manchester holds a very special place in my heart,” she told the crowd, according to the BBC.
“I’m so happy to be with you, so thank you for having me. Sorry, I’m so nervous. I had so much more to say but I’m really very overwhelmed. So thank you,” she said.
“You’re my heart in every way,” she tweeted on her way to the event.
Grande’s tribute comes just days after the singer announced she had tied the knot with real estate agent Dalton Gomez.
