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"Justin Bieber has paid tribute to a 6-year-old fan who lost her battle with a rare form of cancer on Wednesday (September 26). Avalanna Routh was dubbed &amp;#039;Mrs Bieber&amp;#039; by her friends and family. Routh&amp;#039;s family wrote on Twitter: &amp;quot;Our darling Avalanna went to Heaven this morning. Oh Avalanna, the brightest star - you took our hearts with you, our greatest love.&amp;quot;  Bieber also made a statement on the micro-blogging website which read: &amp;quot;Just got the worst news ever. One of the greatest spirits I have ever known is gone. Please pray for her family and for her. RIP Avalanna. I love you.&amp;quot; Sharing a picture of the two of them together, the singer added: &amp;quot;Please show respect to her and her family. Say a prayer for her and for them. I miss her.&amp;quot;  Bieber had paid Routh a visit earlier this year in New York, after a family friend created a Facebook petition titled &amp;quot;Get Avalanna to Meet Justin Bieber.&amp;quot;  They also made a joint appearance on the Today show in June. After meeting Routh for the first time, Bieber told fans that it was &amp;quot;one of the best things I have ever done. She was AWESOME! Feeling really inspired now #MrsBieber.&amp;quot;  Routh was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer at 9 months old called an AT/RT, or an atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor. Most of those diagnosed with the ailment are given a maximum of a year to live, and there is currently no known cure. Dr Charles Roberts, a paediatric oncologist at the Dana-Farber Children&amp;#039;s Hospital Cancer Center, told the Los Angeles Times that AT/RT is &amp;quot;a cancer that strikes babies and toddlers and arises in the brain... We are still having an extremely difficult time curing this type of cancer.&amp;quot;  Staff at the hospital threw a fake wedding for Routh that included flowers, a wedding cake and a singer. They also gave her a red T-shirt that read &amp;#039;Future Mrs Bieber&amp;#039;. Roberts said that Routh&amp;#039;s passing had devastated staff, adding: &amp;quot;People are taking it very hard. We knew it was coming, but it&amp;#039;s extremely sad.&amp;quot; Watch Justin Bieber and Avalanna Routh together on the Today show below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a408541/justin-bieber-pays-tribute-to-young-fan-who-died-of-rare-cancer/>