We’re learning the cause of death for Taylor Swift fan Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who passed after falling ill during Swift’s November 17 Eras concert in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Benevides died of heat exhaustion, according to a forensics report obtained by The Associated Press.
The 23-year-old Benevides fainted in the front row of the Estadio Nilton Santos Stadium while waiting for the show to begin, and died hours later at a hospital.
According to the report, Machado did not have “preexisting conditions or substance abuse” that could have been contributing factors, but “heat exposure led to a cardiorespiratory arrest.” The report also noted that she had “serious compromise of her lungs and sudden death” due to the heat.
Extreme high temperatures were thought to have contributed to her death at the time. During the show, Swift repeatedly requested that security get water for fans, who were tightly smashed at the front of the stage. The temperatures in the city topped 100 degrees the day of the concert, and many had been standing in line since long before the show started and were reluctant to give up spots in front of the stage to get water.
Swift postponed her concert the following night due to the extreme heat.
Swift was devastated by Benevides’ death, penning a tribute to her on Instagram immediately following the concert. “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.
“There’s very little information I have other than the fact that 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. 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.”
At her Rio de Janeiro concert two days after Benevides’ death, Swift performed a deep album cut about grief, “Bigger Than the Whole Sky.”
