Swifties Raise Money For Family Of Fan Who Died At Taylor Swift Concert

Swifties say they have raised money for the family of a fan who died after attending a Taylor Swift show in Brazil.

The family of Ana Clara Benevides, who had gone to see Swift’s performance in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, previously said that concert organizers hadn’t provided support to transport the fan’s body back home.

In a video posted on social media, a woman identified as Benevides’ mother said that the family has since reached its fundraising goal.

“Thank God, a lot of people have donated,” she said in the video, according to a fan’s English translation.

“Today I realize how loved my daughter was,” the translation read. “From my heart, thank you all.”

On Friday, Swift said on Instagram: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this.

“I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken 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.”

Though Swift had written that Benevides died before the concert, the fan’s friend Daniele Menin told news site G1 that Benevides had taken ill at the beginning of the show, when Swift was performing “Cruel Summer.”

While an official cause of death has yet to be announced, many believe that Brazil’s extreme heat wave played a significant role, with the high temperatures even leading Swift to postpone another Rio show.

Brazilian Swifties have been vocal about supporting Benevides’ family however they can. One fan account said it helped with the crowdfunding effort, and later announced that it would stop promoting the campaign after its success, at the request of Benevides’ family.

Fans planned a moment of silence for Benevides during another Swift concert, but they canceled it out of apparent concern that it would seem critical of the singer.