Ariana Grande shared a special message for those suffering from the ‘tremendous heaviness’ ahead of the Manchester Arena Bombing’s third anniversary. The tragic attack cost the lives of 22 innocent people.
Ariana Grande, 27, had a heavy heart on May 20, two days before the three-year anniversary of the Manchester Arena Bombing that cost the lives of 22 people and physically injured 139 more fans. “I want to take a moment to acknowledge and send my love to everyone that is feeling the sadness and and tremendous heaviness of the anniversary coming up this week,” the pop star wrote on her Instagram Story. “Not a day goes by that this doesn’t affect you and all of us still. I will be thinking of you all week and weekend. My heart, thoughts and prayers are with you always.”
The horrific event happened after Ariana performed in the United Kingdom arena on May 22, 2017, which was a stop on her Dangerous Woman Tour. A 22-year-old man named Salman Ramadan Abedi carried out the suicide bombing right outside the arena, and out of the 22 innocent lives lost, 10 were under the age of 20 (the youngest victim to pass away was Saffie Roussos, who was only eight years old). Beyond those numbers, many more suffered “psychological injuries,” according to Chief Constable Ian Hopkins (per Manchester Evening News).
Even though it has been nearly three years since the tragedy, Ariana has never forgotten about her fans who suffered through the incident. With barely time to grieve, Ariana found the strength to put on the famous One Love Manchester benefit concert in the very same city where the bombing occurred in June of 2017. Two years later, she returned to the UK city to perform at Manchester Pride.