BOSTON (AP) - A 6-year-old Massachusetts 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 inspired 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 Roberts of Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center, where Avalanna received treatment.
The little girl was diagnosed when she was 9 months old and "responded to initial treatment for quite a while, but the cancer kept coming back and ultimately she was no longer responsive," Roberts said. She died at her home in Merrimac.
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 cancer."