Ariana Grande’s mother, Joan Grande, helped escort fans backstage to safety after the suicide bombing at her daughter’s concert in Manchester, England, on Monday, May 22, a source confirms to Us Weekly.
As TMZ first reported, Joan, who is also mom of TV personality Frankie Grande, was sitting front row at Ariana’s concert at Manchester Arena on Monday night. When the explosion went off at the end of the show, thousands of concertgoers rushed toward the exits.
The pop star’s mom, who was preparing to go backstage to see her daughter, assembled a group of nearby fans and told them to come with her and Ariana’s security team, the source tells Us. Joan waited backstage with the fans until they were cleared to safely leave the arena.
As previously reported, at least 22 people were killed and at least 59 were injured in the explosion, which occurred just outside Manchester Arena. Ariana, 23, was physically unharmed but is struggling to cope with the heartbreaking news.
“Ariana is inconsolable,” a source exclusively told Us. “She’s absolutely heartbroken. She can’t believe this happened. She spent the night crying with her backup dancers and saying how much she adores her fans.”
Officials have identified the attacker as 23-year-old Salman Abedi. A second 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the bombing.
