Ariana Grande honors Manchester bombing victims on 4-year anniversary: 'My heart is with you today'
Ariana Grande honored victims of the Manchester bombing on the four-year anniversary of the tragedy, which occurred after her concert in England.
"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," Grande, 27, wrote in her Instagram Stories on Saturday. "Please know that I am thinking of you today."
"Manchester, my heart is with you today and always," she added.
The "Side to Side" singer included the names of the 22 victims: 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 ones, Michelle Kiss, Angelika Klis, Marcin Klis, Morrell Leczkowski, Eilidh MacLeod, Elaine McIver, Saffie Rose Rouses and Jane Tweddle.
On May 22, 2017, a man named Salman Abedi detonated a bomb at Manchester Arena after Grande's concert, dying in the explosion along with his victims. Abedi's brother Hashem Abedi was sentenced to 55 years in prison on charges of murder, attempted murder, and conspiring to cause explosions, reported Reuters.
Shortly after the attack, Grande tweeted, "Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have the words." The next month, she performed at the "One Love Manchester" benefit concert telling the audience, “The kind of unity you’re displaying is what the world really needs right now."
A year later, Grande told British Vogue that in the aftermath of the bombing, she experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health disorder that stems from trauma. People who suffer from PTSD can experience repetitive memories of the incident, nightmares or "severe emotional distress or physical reactions," according to the Mayo Clinic.
“It's hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss," Grande told the magazine. But, yeah, it's a real thing. I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn't even be talking about my own experience — like I shouldn't even say anything. I don't think I'll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”
In 2019, Grande returned to Manchester for its Pride concert celebrating LGBTQ citizens. However, she dealt with backlash as some felt that because Grande is straight (this week, she married 25-year-old real estate broker Dalton Gomez), she was not the appropriate performer.
"I want to celebrate and support this community, regardless of my identity or how people label me,” Grande responded on Twitter. “And also I wanna visit a city that means so much to me.”
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
