On November 17, Ana Clara Benevides Machado, a 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan, tragically succumbed to cardiac arrest in extreme heat before the singer’s Rio de Janeiro concert.
Swift reportedly invited Machado’s family and friends to her Sao Paulo performance, where they were seen wearing T-shirts with Ana’s face.
Late Ana Clara Benevides Machado’s Family Attends Taylor Swift’s Era’s Concert In Sao Paulo
Taylor Swift with Ana Benevides’ family 🤍 tonight! #TStheErasTour pic.twitter.com/ZlFLUQs0vq
— The Eras Tour (@TSTheErasTour) November 27, 2023
The late Swiftie suffered a cardiac arrest amid severe heat, with temperatures reaching 59.3 degrees Celsius or 138.7 degrees Fahrenheit, before the singer’s Era Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro.
Following the untimely passing of the 23-year-old, the “Blank Space” singer extended an invitation to Machado’s family and friends to attend her Sao Paulo performance.
Footage shared on the X account @swifferupdates captured Machado’s family and friends attending the concert, gathered in a VIP area under a tent at the Allianz Parque stadium, each donning white T-shirts adorned with Ana’s face.
Following the show, they had the opportunity to meet with Swift, posing for a group photograph with the singer.
Taylor Swift Pays Tribute To Late Fan, Says She Is ‘Shattered’
MEGA
After the tragic passing of Machado, Swift expressed her grief in a heartfelt hand-written note shared on her Instagram story. The “Cruel Summer” hitmaker began, “I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it’s with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show.”
Overwhelmed by grief, she mentioned the limited information available about the young and beautiful fan, noting: “I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this. There’s very little information I have other than the fact she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”
Instagram Stories | Taylor Swift
She emphasized her deep sorrow and extended condolences to the family and friends, adding: “I’m not going to be able to speak about this from the stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my heart goes out to her family and friends.”
Swift concluded, “This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.” The singer later postponed another Rio show, and organizers announced adjustments in subsequent performances.
Late Taylor Swift Fan’s Father Requests Investigation Into Concert Organizers
MEGA
The decision to prohibit fans from bringing water bottles to the concert, made by organizers T4F, had severe consequences as over 1,000 attendees out of the 60,000 in the audience fainted before and during the show.
Machado, feeling unwell, sought paramedic assistance and fainted just before the performance commenced. She was initially taken to a first aid center and later transferred to Salgado Filho Hospital but arrived without a pulse. Despite more than an hour of resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead.
Weiny Machado, Ana’s father, expressing grief over losing his daughter, spoke to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, stating: “I want it to be found out whether they were in fact prohibited from bringing water, whether there was negligence in assisting. I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl.”
He added: “She was about to graduate in psychology next April, saving money. I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and came back dead.”
Concert Organizer, Time4Fun Announces Their ‘Special Action Plan’
The family of Ana Clara Benevides, a fan who passed away on the first night of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Brazil, is present on the third and final night of #SaoPauloTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/wFQAWHQkyQ
— @21metgala (@21metgala) November 26, 2023
Per the Mirror, Time4Fun, the concert organizer implemented a “special action plan” to address the city’s forecasted heatwave.
The plan read: “Given the forecast of an increase in the heat wave in the city, we inform you that we are reinforcing the special action plan carried out for the first day of the show, especially the provision of free water in the queues and at all accesses and entrances to the stadium and inside.”
The company continued, “In this way, new free water distribution points will be available to the public during the event.”
Time4Fun added, “Entry into the stadium with sealed glasses of water and sealed processed food will also be permitted, with no limitation on items per person. We clarify that the requirement for items to be sealed follows safety recommendations.”
The statement concluded: “We also emphasize that the prohibition of bottles of water entering stadiums is a requirement made by public bodies and that we do not sell drinks and food, this being the responsibility of the stadium administration.”