Ariana Grande has reportedly pulled out of her memorial performance at this year’s BRIT Awards.
The 24-year-old singer was booked to perform a tribute piece – set to pay respect to the 22 people who died when a suicide bomber unleashed an explosion after her gig at the Manchester Arena last May – at the music extravaganza tonight (21.02.18) at The O2 arena in London.
But Ariana had top contact organisers to say she was unable to make the show due to unforeseen complications.
A source told the MirrorOnline: "It’s a race against time to get someone to do what is very much the centre piece of the entire show. It will be the biggest talking point of the night. The whole industry wants to come together to pay their respects to the victims. The effects of that terrible night resonated far and wide in the music industry and it’s only right everyone comes together to pay their respects."
However, bosses have reportedly managed to persuade Liam Gallagher – who was born and raised in Manchester – to take part in the segment, which will see the names of those who lost their lives in the horrific incident displayed across a screen during the performance, as they are desperate to make it the highlight of the night, according to The Sun Online.
Ariana was left devastated last year when the attack took place claiming the lives of concertgoers – many of whom were children – just minutes after she concluded her ‘Dangerous Woman’ tour gig.
Her manager Scooter Braun said recently: "When she found out that fans of hers had died she was so sad. She cried for days, she felt everything – every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve. Every bit of emotion because that’s who she is."
The ‘One Last Time’ hitmaker flew straight back to the US to come to terms with the incident with the help of her loved ones, but days later she was back in Manchester visiting her injured fans at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, which was the "hardest two hours" of her life.
Less than a month after the attack, Ariana returned to the British city to put on the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which raised money for the families affected by the tragedy.
Liam, 45, was among the many musicians to perform in the benefit gig last year and his duet with Coldplay’s Chris Martin on Oasis classic ‘Live Forever’ was one of the highlights of the evening.
Ariana Grande pulls out of Manchester Arena memorial at BRITs
