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(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Avalanna Routh, the 6-year-old girl who captured the heart of Justin Bieber, has died.
Avalanna, who was from Merrimac, was suffering from a rare form of brain cancer known as AT/RT.
The following was posted on her Twitter account, @avalanna, Wednesday morning:
"Our darling Avalanna went to Heaven this morning. Oh Avalanna, the brightest star - you took our hearts with you, our greatest Love."
Bieber mourned the death of "one of the greatest spirits i have ever known," saying in a tweet: "RIP Avalanna. i love you."
A family member confirmed to FOX 25 that the little girl had passed away.
Her dream of meeting the pop sensation came true when family and friends reached out to FOX 25 and other local TV stations, set up a Facebook page and created a Twitter account encouraging people to share her story in the hope of getting the attention of Bieber.
After hearing about Avalanna's story, a FOX25 staff member reached out to a friend that had connections with Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun. As soon as Braun saw the story he immediately wanted to help and tweeted the story looking for more contact information.
Three days later, Avalanna and her family were flown to New York for a private meeting.
Avalanna spent two hours with the "Never say Never" singer eating cupcakes and playing the board game Candyland. For the record - according to Avalanna - Bieber won.
Routh was suffering from an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. Only 30 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
The Dana Farber Cancer Institute mourned Routh's passing, saying she raised awareness about the disease and the need for greater research.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Cox Media Group
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