Ariana Grande reflects on Manchester bombing's fourth anniversary: 'Grief is ever-present'
Singer shared the names of the 22 victims who lost their lives in 2017
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ariana Grande took a moment to honor the 22 people who were killed at her Manchester concert in 2017.
The 27-year-old singer shared a touching Instagram Story on Saturday, May 22, which marked the fourth anniversary of the targeted attack.
Her temporary post included the names of the concert attendees who lost their lives to the suicide bomber who detonated an explosive in the lobby of the Manchester Arena.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ARIANA GRANDE DONATES AMAZON GIFT CARDS TO EVERY CHILD IN MANCHESTER CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
"Although grief is ever-present and our relationship to it is evolving and expressing itself in different ways every day year round, I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one," Ariana wrote alongside a heart-shaped illustration made up of bumblebees.
"Please know that I am thinking of u all today," she went on. "Manchester, you’re in my heart always."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The popstar shared the same caption to her main Instagram feed, which included a short clip of what appears to be a burning flame. Nearly four million people have liked the post as of Sunday morning.
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It isn’t the first time Ariana has made a public about the tragic event.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In 2018, the singer commemorated the loss with a message that said she thinks of her fans that day "and every day." Days later she revealed she got a bumblebee tattoo – an homage to Manchester’s industrious worker bee motif.
The year after that, Ariana shared a simpler tribute across her social media platforms with a bee emoji for the event’s second anniversary. Her 2019 post notably came one month after she shared a "terrifying" brain scan that brought awareness to post-traumatic stress disorder.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}By the time the third anniversary rolled around in 2020, Ariana shared a lengthier message about the bombing, according to E! News.
"I want to take a moment to acknowledge and send my love to everyone that is feeling the sadness and tremendous heaviness of the anniversary coming up this week. Not a day goes by that this doesn't affect you and all of us still," she wrote in an Instagram Story at the time. "My heart, thoughts, prayers are with you always."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Shortly after the attack, Manchester police reported hundreds of concert attendees were injured from the bomb detonated by Salman Abedi, 22, who happened to be a British Muslim of Libyan ancestry.
Around 1,000 people were injured by the bombing and 112 people were hospitalized, according to the BBC.
Abedi’s brother Hashem, 23, was convicted for the near two-dozen deaths that resulted from the bombing last year, and he was sentenced 55 years to life, according to Sky News. He reportedly helped his brother plot the attack and gather materials for the homemade bomb.
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In June 2017, the One Love Manchester benefit concert raised more than $13 million to support victims and survivors of the bombing. Ariana Grande organized and performed at the event, the Associated Press reports. She was joined by other stars, including Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and late rapper Mac Miller.