Sam Smith visited Pulse nightclub in Orlando on Thursday (12Jul18) to pay tribute to the victims of the horrific mass shooting at the Florida venue.
The British singer, 26, is currently in Florida as part of his The Thrill of It All Tour and visited a memorial honouring the 49 people that were killed at the gay nightclub in June 2016.
Afterward, the Stay With Me hitmaker took to Instagram to share a picture of the memorial at the site and pay his respects to the those affected by the tragedy.
"Just went to Pulse nightclub in Orlando to visit the beautiful memorial that has been built. So deeply emotional & heartbreaking," he wrote to his 9.8 million followers.
"However, proof that there is more love in this world than hate. To all the families and friends of the victims, your loved ones will never be forgotten xx If any of you come to Orlando it's such an important place to go to and pay your respects. Sending my love to all of you xx." He added an emoji of a multi-coloured flag to signify unity with the LGBTQ community, of which he has long been a vocal supporter.
Terrorist Omar Mateen, who claimed he was acting on behalf of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), was shot dead by police after a three-hour standoff following the rampage, which also wounded 53 others. It is the deadliest incident of violence against LGBTQ people in U.S. history.
London-born singer Sam, who came out as gay in May 2014, continues to champion LGBTQ rights.
At the Attitude magazine annual awards in October last year, the Like I Can hitmaker told Press Association: "This is my first Attitude Awards ever and I am so excited to just be around everyone and celebrate being gay with everyone."
In 2017, he told British newspaper The Sunday Times his latest album, The Thrill of It All, encompassed his “growth” and “confidence” as a gay man. “I feel like they (the tracks) show me. They show the gay guy I’ve become,” he smiled.
