Yahoo News Ariana Grande’s mother Joan shares photo of family vigil to mark anniversary of Manchester Arena attack
Ariana Grande was surrounded by friends and family at an emotional vigil to mark the one year anniversary of the Manchester Arena terror attack.
The pop star’s mother Joan shared a photo of the family gathering on social media, showing them all standing around a grand piano at home.
To honour the 22 people who died in the bombing, the family placed 22 candles on the top of the piano, which sat over the names of the victims.
She wrote on Twitter: “It is unbelievable how May 22, 2017 started last year in Manchester!
It is unbelievable how May 22, 2017 started last year in Manchester! Who would ever have imagined the horrors that awaited us all.. one year later I look to the strength of Manchester with a bowed head, and love in my heart! At home last night, all together & grateful! pic.twitter.com/iPWzEUdM88
— Joan Grande (@joangrande) May 24, 2018
“Who would ever have imagined the horrors that awaited us all.. one year later I look to the strength of Manchester with a bowed head, and love in my heart! At home last night, all together & grateful!”
Grande posted her own emotional tribute on Tuesday, thanking all of her fans for supporting her over the last 12 months.
The pop star, who had been performing at the arena when suicide bomber Salman Abedi blew himself up on May 22 last year, said she was sending her “light and warmth” to victims of the attack.
Her emotional post on Twitter comes a year on from the bombing, which will be marked with a national minute’s silence and a remembrance service at Manchester Cathedral on Tuesday.
In the post, she wrote: “Thinking of you all today and every day. I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day."
In a recent interview with Time, Grande the incident the “absolute worst of humanity” and admitting that it’s still “very painful.”
The One Last Time singer said: “There are so many people who have suffered such loss and pain.
“The processing part is going to take forever. I don’t want to give it that much power [by talking about it]. Something so negative. It’s the absolute worst of humanity.
“That’s why I did my best to react the way I did. The last thing I would ever want is for my fans to see something like that happen and think it won.”
