Christina Grimmie dead: Tributes pour in for The Voice contestant and Youtuber

The 22-year-old singer died after being shot by a gunman who then killed himself

Christina Grimmie in May, 2016 (Getty)

Tributes are being paid to the singer Christina Grimmie who has died after being shot while signing autographs in Orlando.

Police confirmed the 22-year-old was signing autographs with the band Before You Exit at a merchandise table at The Plaza Live in Orlando, where they had just performed, when she was shot by a gunmen who then turned the gun on himself.

Shortly after news of her death emerged #RIPChristina began trending on Twitter with many paying tribute to Grimmie, including those from the entertainment and social media world.

The band who Grimmie was touring with paid a lengthy tribute to her on Twitter, writing that they have lost an "angel, sister and beloved friend".

Adam Levine, who coached Grimmie on the voice said he was “sad, shocked and confused” as he shared a photo of the two of them on Instagram. Blake Shelton, a fellow judge on the show said he was "stunned, disgusted and heartbroken".

Grimmie grew up in New Jersey where her musical abilities were apparent from an early age. In 2011, she told Joonbug.com she knew she wanted to be a singer from the age of four.

Grimmie belonged to a modern category of emerging entertainers having begun her career on Youtube. She gained prominence online from performing covers like “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus and “Stay” by Rihanna. She started posting videos from the age of 15 and her Youtube channel has over 3 million subscribers.

Many from the Youtube world also paid tribute to Grimmie and expressed their shock at her tragic death.

After finding success in the Youtube world, Grimmie was noticed by Selena Gomez’ mother and stepfather who begun to manage her. Grimmie supported Gomez on tour in 2011.

In 2014, Grimmie auditioned for The Voice in the US. In the first 'blind' audition, she received rave reviews from all four judges after singing Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball”.

Grimmie chose Maroon 5’s Adam Levine as her mentor and went on to come third place in the competition. Along the way she received public support from Justin Bieber.

Since The Voice, Grimmie recorded music and toured with Before You Exit.

Just this week Pop Crush released an interview with the singer where she discussed her new EP Side A.

Police have said an investigation into her death is ongoing.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.