Father Demands Answers After Daughter Dies At Taylor Swift’s Rio Concert

Ana Clara Benevides, 23, tragically passed away during Taylor Swift‘s concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday night amid a record-breaking heat index of 139 degrees Fahrenheit.

Benevides’ father is also speaking out about the tragedy. Weiny Machado, 53, heartbreakingly told Folha de São Paulo: “I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl.”

“She was about to graduate in Psychology next April, saving money,” he explained. “I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and came back dead.”

According to NME, the grieving father also said he is demanding an investigation into the incident. “I want it to be found out whether they were in fact prohibited from bringing water, whether there was negligence in providing assistance.”

Upon hearing of the 23-year-old’s tragic passing, Swift released a statement that read: “I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this.”

Swift’s announcement of her concerts in Brazil sparked major excitement back in June. At the time, she wrote on X, “Really thrilled to tell you this,” noting her Rio de Janeiro concert on November 18, and her two stops in São Paulo on November 25 and 26 (she later added more dates in both cities).

As reported by Rolling Stone, Swift’s Friday concert marked her first time performing in Brazil. Singing to an audience of 60,000 fans, the 33-year-old star performed her famously three-hour-long Eras Tour set list. However, Rio de Janeiro’s sweltering heat wave set in — leading to more than 1,000 people fainting during the concert.

Tragically, Ana Clara Benevides, 23, a fan hailing from Rondonópolis, Brazil, died during Swift’s Friday show at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium. According to the New York Times, Benevides lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest. She was pronounced dead at the nearby Hospital Municipal Salgado Filho.

Here is what to know about Swift’s sweltering Friday concert, with unearthed videos showing fans chanting for water — and the singer stopping several songs to ask personnel to give it to them.

Several videos show fans chanting for water during Swift’s Rio de Janeiro show

Swift’s Friday concert at Rio de Janeiro’s Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium took place during a severe heat wave. While one fan described the concert’s conditions to AP News as “sauna-like,” with temperatures that day reaching 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the heat index, which combines air temperature and relative humidity, shot up to 139 degrees.

Rio de Janeiro’s Fire Department reported that more than 1,000 people fainted during the show. One concertgoer described to AP News, “It was extremely hot… There was a point at which I had to check my breathing to make sure I wasn’t going to pass out.”

She also noted how many people looked “distressed” during the concert and were “yelling for water.” The fan recalled, “They were holding up their phones saying ‘We need water.'”

Meanwhile, unearthed videos of Friday’s concert show the moment several fans chanted for water. At that point, Swift stopped singing and said into the microphone, “There [are] people that need water… Right here.”

“Thirty-five, 40 feet back,” she pointed out to concert personnel. “So, whoever is in charge of giving them that… Can I get a signal that you know where they are?”

“Is it getting to you or not?” she asked her fans. The same clip shows how Swift grabbed a water bottle from one side of her stage and threw it to a fan.

Yet another video shows the singer belting out “All Too Well,” stopping halfway to say, “Water 15 feet back.” As one X user wrote about the moment, “People need access to water. People need to be able to enjoy a show without the fear of dying.”

Some videos allegedly show more of the concert’s conditions from general admission, where fans look packed together with little room to move:

Another clip of Friday’s concert shows one fan clearly struggling while someone gives them water:

While fans fought through heat and humidity, they also reportedly found difficulties keeping themselves hydrated. In fact, many concertgoers later alleged that they were not allowed to bring water into the stadium that day.

Some fans believe Swift also struggled through her set because of the intense heat, posting videos like these as proof:

And while Swift initially planned to follow up her Friday performance with a second Rio de Janeiro concert on Saturday, she later postponed it to Monday.

Canceling Saturday’s show just hours before it was scheduled to start, Swift wrote on Instagram, “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.”

Meanwhile, the organizers of the show, Time for Fun, have since stated on X that they will provide free water to concertgoers.

As many fans mourn the loss of Ana Clara Benevides, Swift says she feels “devastated”

Now, many are mourning the loss of 23-year-old fan Ana Clara Benevides, who tragically died during Friday’s show.

As per New York Times, Benevides was a psychology student who lived in Rondonópolis. Many loved ones have since described to news outlets how excited Benevides was for Swift’s concert. In fact, one friend said she had planned her outfit for the show for more than a month.

Benevides even sent a video to her family while boarding her first-ever flight to Rio de Janeiro. She said in the video, “Mom, look at the plane, it’s moving. Mom, I’m on the plane. My God in heaven! I’m happy!” As per NPR, she even made a WhatsApp group with loved ones to document her entire concert experience.

According to one of her friends, Daniele Menin, who also attended the concert, Benevides fainted during the second song.

Swift posted a statement about Benevides’ passing, writing on 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.”

“There’s very little information I have other than the fact she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young,” the singer added. “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.”

“My broken heart goes out to her family and friends,” Swift continued. “This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”