Father of Taylor Swift Fan Who Died in Brazil Speaks Out
Taylor Swift had a moving moment off the stage at her show in São Paulo, Brazil.
As seen in a photo shared on social media, the singer appeared to meet the family of Ana Clara Benevides Machado—a 23-year-old fan who passed away after falling ill at an Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month.
The image seemed to show Ana Clara's loved ones wearing T-shirts with her face on it and gathering around Taylor as they posed for a picture. A video posted online also appeared to show the family members standing in a VIP section at the Nov. 26 event.
Their attendance comes nine days after Ana Clara attended Taylor's concert at Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 17. In a statement translated from Portuguese to English, organizer T4F (Time for Fun) said Ana Clara "felt unwell and was promptly attended to" by first responders, with her "being taken to the medical center at the Nilton Saltos Stadium for first aid protocol."
"Given the situation," the statement continued, "the medical team chose to transfer her to Salgado Filho Hospital, where, after almost an hour of emergency care, she unfortunately died. To the family and friends of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, our sincere condolences."
photosMusicians Performing Live on Stage
According to local outlet G1, the Rio Municipal Health Department shared that Ana Clara suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and that her cause of death—which has yet to be revealed—will be certified by the Instituto Médico Legal (IML).
Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
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After learning of Ana Clara's death, Taylor expressed her heartbreak.
"I can't believe I'm writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show," the Grammy winner wrote on Instagram Stories Nov. 17. "I can't even tell you how devastated I am by this. There's very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young."
"I'm not going to be able to speak about this from stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it," she added. "I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil."
According to NBC News, a spokesperson for the Civil Police Department of Rio de Janeiro announced on Nov. 22 that its consumer delegations department launched an investigation into T4F in regards to "the crime of endangering the life and health" of concert attendees.
The concert took place amid a heat wave in Rio de Janeiro. According to NBC News, T4F CEO Serafim Abreu acknowledged in a Nov. 23 Instagram video that there were "alternative" steps the organizer could have taken amid the heat and apologized to "all who did not have the best possible experience."
"We know the enormous responsibility we have to organize an event of this scale," he said in part, per the outlet's translation, "which is why we did not economize in our efforts or resources to follow the best global practices in our industry to guarantee the comfort and safety of all."
And Ana Clara's father Weiny Machado has called for answers—including over whether attendees were allowed to bring in water bottles (T4F stated in a Nov. 18 Instagram post that "the ban on entry of water bottles into stadiums is a requirement made by public bodies and that we do not carry out the marketing of drinks and food," while National Consumer Secretary Wadih Damous tweeted that same day an order for T4F to ensure water access at all of Taylor's shows in Brazil).
"I want it to be determined whether they were in fact prohibited from bringing water, whether there was negligence in providing assistance. I know that the singer was handing out water to her fans, and that is absurd for an event of this size," Weiny said in a Nov. 18 interview with local outlet Folha de S.Paulo, appearing to reference videos of Taylor directing crews to provide water to concertgoers. "Nothing will bring my daughter back, but I hope that, if negligence is confirmed, someone will be punished, so that this doesn't happen to anyone else."
Taylor had also postponed her Nov. 18 show—explaining on Instagram Stories this was "due to the extreme temperatures in Rio" and noting, "The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family).