Justin Bieber & Avalanna Routh Bieber
JB & AB
BOSTON (AP) - A 6-year-old girl whose love for Justin Bieber encouraged physicians and nurses at a Boston hospital to organize a pretend wedding to the pop star as she battled a rare brain cancer has died.
The family of Avalanna Routh - who called herself Mrs. Bieber - said on their Twitter account that she died Wednesday morning. "Oh Avalanna, the brightest star - you took our hearts with you, our greatest Love," the family wrote.
During the pretend wedding, Avalanna held a yellow, green and purple bouquet of flowers, wore a T-shirt that said "Future Mrs. Bieber" and stood next to his portrait under a banner that declared them "Just Married." That sparked a social media campaign to help her meet the singer.
Bieber later arranged for the girl to meet him in New York, where they spent a couple of hours together before he tweeted that the experience was inspiring and the best thing he's ever done.
"... she was AWESOME! Feeling really ins pired now! (hash)MrsBieber," he tweeted.
Bieber took to Twitter to mourn the death of Avalanna.
"just got the worst news ever. one of the greatest spirits i have ever known is gone," Bieber tweeted. "please pray for her family and for her."
"RIP Avalanna. i love you," he said.
Avalanna suffered from an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, a fast-growing tumor of the brain and spinal cord that usually occurs in young children. Only 30 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, said Dr. Charles Robert of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where Avalanna received treatment.
The little girl "was diagnosed when she was 18 months and responded to initial treatment for quite a while, but the cancer kept coming back and ultimately she was no longer responsive" and she passed away at her home in Merrimac, Robert said.
There was no immediate word on funeral arrangements.
"She was a very courageous young person who lived her life with grace and determination," the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said in a statement. "By generously sharing her story, she raised awareness worldwide about atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors and articulated the need for greater research of this rare cancJustin Drew Bieber (/ˈbiːbər/; born March 1, 1994)[5][6] is a Canadian pop musician, dancer, actor, and singer-songwriter.[1][3] Bieber was discovered in 2008 by American talent manager Scooter Braun,[7] who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with entertainer Usher Raymond in Atlanta, Georgia. Bieber was signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG),[8] and then to an Island Records recording contract offered by record executive L.A. Reid.[4][9]er."His debut extended play, the seven-track My World, was released in November 2009, and wascertified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] Bieber's first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010. It debuted at or near number-one in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the single "Baby". He followed up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Bieber released his second studio album Under the Mistletoe in November 2011, when it debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200. Bieber released his third studio album Believe on June 19, 2012, and it became his fourth chart topper in the United States, debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200.Bieber has received numerous awards, including both Artist of the Year Awards, at the 2010 American Music Awards, and the 2012 American Music Awards, and was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. With a global fan base, termed as"Beliebers", and over 40 million followers on Twitter, he was named by Forbes magazine in 2012 as the third-most powerful celebrity in the world.[11] He had earned an estimated US$55 million in the previous 12 months. As of May 2012, Bieber had sold 15 million albums.[12]
