The devastated father of Taylor Swift’s fan who died at her Brazil concert due to extreme heat has demanded answers from concert organizers. Benevides’ father Weiny Machado, 53, told the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo he wants the promoters to clarify whether concertgoers were prohibited from bringing water into the show which took place in Rio de Janeiro last Friday. ‘I want it to be found out whether they were in fact prohibited from bringing water, whether there was negligence in providing assistance,’ Machado told the paper. ‘I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl. Devastated father of Taylor Swift ‘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.’ Ana’s cousin Estela Benevides told the paper that Ana fainted ahead of her death on Friday while she was in the front row of the Estádio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro amid triple-digit temperatures to see Swift, 33, perform as part of her Eras Tour.
Ana died shortly after arriving at a local hospital, with the paper reporting the heat index at the stadium ‘reached 60C’ – 140F – and firefighters reportedly ‘counted a thousand faintings during the event.’
Ana’s cousin Gabriela Benevides told the paper that they are concerned that they ‘will not have the resources’ to have Ana’s body brought back to them.
Fans filled social media with claims they had been prohibited from bringing water bottles into the stadium.
Swift said in her announcement on Instagram Saturday that she was cancelling her second scheduled gig at the stadium.
‘I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium,’ Swift said. ‘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 always has to come first.’
