RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: The devastated father of a Taylor Swift's fan, who tragically died at the singer's concert in Brazil, has demanded answers from the organizers. 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado lost her life ahead of Swift’s Eras Tour show at the Estadio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, November 17.
The victim was identified by one of the event organizers, Time for Fun, on X on Saturday. In the post, written in Portuguese, they said she had felt sick at the venue and was attended to by the emergency responders before being transferred to Salagdo Filho Hospital, where she died.
What did Ana Clara's father say?
Ana Clara's father Weiny Machado, 53, told Brazilian newspaper Folha de S Paulo that he wants explanation on whether fans were prohibited from bringing water into Friday’s show. "I want to know if it's true that they are prohibited from bringing water and neglected to provide assistance,” he told the outlet, adding “I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl.”
"She was about to graduate in psychology next April, saving money,” Weiny continued. “I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and came back dead.”
Fans claimed that they were not provided with water at Taylor Swift’s show
According to the outlet, fans at Swift’s show in Rio claimed that they weren’t given any water while waiting in line for the concert. What's even more ironic is the fact that the 'Karma' singer had postponed her show in the city the day before as a result of the extreme heat.
"I'm writing this from my dressing room in the stadium," Swift shared in a handwritten post to her Instagram Stories on Saturday, November 18. "The decision has been made to postpone tonight's show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers and crew has to and will always come first," she added.
Taylor Swift shared her devastation at Ana Clara’s death on social media
“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 wrote in a handwritten message posted to her Instagram Stories on Friday, November 17. “I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this," she continued, adding "There’s very little information I have other than the fact she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”
“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," she wrote, adding "I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my 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,” Swift concluded her heartfelt note.
Taylor Swift asked for water to be brought to fans during her gig
In the footage shared by fans on X earlier in the night at Friday’s concert, the pop superstar could be seen pausing her performance and asking for water to be brought to fans.
"There's people that need water, right here," Swift said as she stood up from her piano and pointed at a section of the crowd where fans appeared to be waving empty water bottles. "So whoever is in charge of giving them that, please come and make sure that that happens. Can I get a signal that you know where they are?," she added.
