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Published November 22, 2023, 8:51 am ET
Ana Benevides’ mother posted the emotional video on social media.
The devastated mother of the Taylor Swift concertgoer who died from extreme heat at the singer’s concert in Rio de Janeiro last weekend thanked fans for crowdfunding to bring her daughter’s body home after she died The organizers of the event were harshly criticized for not helping to facilitate their return.
Ana Clara Benevides’ mother, Adriana, appeared emotional in a video reacting to the fundraiser launched after the young woman’s death following the Eras Tour show in Rio on Friday.
“Thank God we reached the goal this morning. We were given an amount that allowed us to do anything we wanted. “Thank God a lot of people donated,” she said in VIdea translated to X.
Benevides, 23, fell ill at the start of the show and later died in hospital, the young woman’s friend told the local G1 outlet.
The stadium show’s organizers, Time For Fun (T4F), then came under fire for allegedly failing to help the psychology student’s family transport her body back to her home state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Newsweek reported.
“That’s what hurts the most. She’s been there since Friday … the people from the concert who put it together are not giving us the support to bring her home,” Benevides’ mother said during a tearful appearance on Brazilian television earlier this week, the outlet noted.
Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, died at the Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro.Daniele Menin via O Correio News
“I know these things don’t get through to the singers and the artists don’t know about it, but we wanted them to help us bring them home because we have to pay for everything,” she said.
Although Benevides’ official cause of death has not been announced, it is believed that she suffered from a heat-related illness resulting from the extreme temperatures during the concert.
At the time of the show, temperatures in Rio were around 102 degrees Fahrenheit, according to PBS — coupled with 70 percent humidity, making it feel more like 138 degrees Fahrenheit.
Taylor Swift later said she was “devastated” by the death.
Following Benevides’ death, T4F also came under scrutiny for not allowing water bottles into the crowded stadium despite the extreme conditions – which ultimately forced Swift, 33, to postpone her Saturday concert.
“I want it to be found out whether they were actually forbidden to bring water or whether there was negligence in providing assistance,” Benevides’ father Weiny Machado told Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.
T4F rejected the criticism, stating that “the ban on entering stadiums with water bottles is a requirement of public bodies” and that the organizer “does not sell drinks and food, which is the responsibility of the stadium management,” Newsweek added.
Benevides is believed to have died of a heat-related illness.Ana Clara Benevides/Instagram
At several points during Friday’s show, Swift could be seen stopping to deal with the conditions and asking for water for fans.
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it’s with a broken heart that I say we lost a fan before my show tonight,” the “All Too Well” singer wrote early on her Instagram Stories about Benevides’ death Saturday morning.
“I can’t tell you how devastated I am about this,” she added, noting that she had “very little information” about the incident.
Swift had to postpone her show on Saturday due to extreme temperatures.X/dayIightcamila
The Pennsylvania native later performed a moving rendition of her song “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” during her Sunday show, which many fans felt was a tribute to Benevides.
Swift is now believed to be reconsidering her Thanksgiving plans after being derailed by the sudden loss.
“The Brazil concerts… She is devastated by the death of a fan. The weather is extreme. It’s a chaos that she didn’t expect. It was a traumatic experience. It was a lot. She will decide today,” an insider told Page Six about the singer’s apparent decision to stay in Brazil over the holiday weekend.
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