Police in Florida say the man who killed US singer Christina Grimmie before shooting himself dead has been identified as 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl.

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Grimmie, 22, was signing autographs after a performance in Orlando, Florida, when a man thought to be a "deranged fan" approached her and shot her.

Loibl then died of from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being tackled by Grimmie's brother.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina told reporters Loibl did not appear to have a criminal record and there was no indication he and Grimmie knew each other.

"The suspect travelled to Orlando, apparently, to commit this crime, and then had plans to travel back to where he came from," Chief Mina told reporters.

In addition to two handguns, ammunition and a hunting knife, the shooter was also carrying two loaded gun magazines at the time of the crime, police said.

Detectives are examining Loibl's mobile phone and computer as they search for a possible motive.

Local television station WFTV posted a picture of a note taped to the front door of a house believed to be Loibl's family home.

"Deepest sorrow for lost (sic). To the family, friends and fans of the very talented, loving Christina Grimmie. No other commets (sic)," it said.

Go Fund Me page launched

Grimmie's brother Mark — who tackled Loibl after the shooting — mourned the loss of his sister on Facebook.

"Christina was more than my sister. She was a partner in life. A superstar. A goofball. Introverted. And a friend to everyone. Genuinely," he wrote in the post.

"But above all ... she was my baby sister. She loved the Lord and her family and was always there for me and I honestly don't know what ill do without her."

Grimmie's manager Brian Teefey created a Go Fund Me page to assist the family.

"I learned this business through the eyes of a father and Christina was like a second daughter to me," said Mr Teefey on the page.

"All I wanted to do was assist her in achieving her musical dreams while protecting her from the pitfalls associated with the business."

The Go Fund Me page launched with a US$4,000 goal and has so far collected over US$50,000.

Sorry, this video has expired Christina Grimmie performs at Orlando's Plaza Live prior to shooting

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Tributes flowed for the late performer on social media, including one from The Voice judge Adam Levine, who posted a photo of himself with Grimmie on Instagram, seemingly before news of her death broke.

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The group Before You Exit, which Grimmie had been performing with before she was shot, posted a lengthy statement on Twitter.

"Christina was such a loving, caring, beautiful person with the biggest heart," they wrote.

"Her carefree spirit and her laughter constantly lit up every room she entered and she always had this glisten in her eyes which was evident in her faith.

"She and her talent will be missed by all of us."

Grimmie, who competed in the sixth season of The Voice in 2014, released her debut EP Find Me in 2011.

A New Jersey native, Grimmie first gained public attention with moving covers of hit songs in videos viewed by millions on YouTube.

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AFP/Reuters