The cause of death of aTaylor Swiftfan, whodied before an Eras Tour show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilin November, has been determined.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Ana Clara Benevides Machado.Ana Benevides/ Instagram
Ana Benevides/ Instagram
“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,” Swift began her social media statement.
Swift added that she would not be able to speak about the fan’s death during her performances because of the “grief” she felt.
“This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil,” Swift concluded her heartfelt message.
On Nov. 26, the pop star invited Benevides Machado’s loved ones, including her father, Weiny, to her final Brazil tour stop in São Paulo, a source close to Swift previously told PEOPLE.
The late fan’s family watched the performer from what appeared to be a VIP tent, a fan-capturedclipshared on X showed.
The group of five wore matching shirts with Benevides Machado’s face on them during the concert, as well as when they met Swift beforehand and posed for a photo with her. (Several Swift fan accounts sharedthe photoon X.)
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Taylor Swift.John Shearer/TAS23/Getty
John Shearer/TAS23/Getty
After his daughter’s death, Weiny, 53, told Brazilian newspaperFolha de S.Paulo, “I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl.”
“She was about to graduate in psychology next April, saving money,” Weiny said. “I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and came back dead.”
According toFolha de S.Paulo, fans at Swift’s Nov. 19 Rio show claimed that they were not given any water while waiting in line for the concert even though the singer had postponed her Nov. 18 Rio show due to extreme heat.
In the same interview, Weiny said he wanted clarification on whether fans weren’t permitted to bring water into Estadio Nilton Santos on the day Benevides Machado died. (Temperatures reached 102 degrees on Nov. 17, perPBS.org.)
“I want to know if it’s true that they are prohibited from bringing water and neglected to provide assistance,” he told the outlet.
Time for Fun, the company that organized Swift’s Brazil concerts — and revealed Benevides Machado’s death — is now under investigation.
Event organizers are expected to be called to testify and authorities have begun taking additional steps “to investigate the facts,” per the outlet.
source: people.com
