It was a devastating day for the family of Ana Clara Benevides Machado after learning that the 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan died from extreme heat at an Eras Tour show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A week after her tragic passing, the singer extended her condolences to the family by inviting them to her final concert in São Paulo on Sunday.
Just nine days after her death, the Benevides family posed backstage with the pop star while wearing matching T-shirts featuring Ana Clara's face. They later watched the performer from what appeared to be a VIP tent, a fan-captured clip shared on X shows.
The young fan died on November 17 ahead of Swift's concert at Estadio Nilton Santos amid sweltering temperatures. She felt unwell at the venue, and was attended to by first responders prior to being transferred to the nearby Salgado Filho Municipal Hospital in cardiorespiratory arrest, where she later died, according to G1.
After her passing was announced, the singer took to social media to express her feelings. "I can't even tell you how devastated I am by this," Taylor wrote on Instagram. "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 stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it."
The singer continued, "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."
Taylor's concert was held at an open-air soccer stadium; however, the thousands of attendees combined with temperatures over 102 degrees Fahrenheit prompted fans to chant "water" with Swift eventually pausing the show. "There's people who need water, right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back," the singer said. "So whoever is in charge of giving them that, just make sure that happens. Can I get a signal that you know where they are?"
On November 18, one day after Ana Clara's death, concert organizer Time for Fun announced plans to distribute free water at her second show in the city, which was later postponed. "New free water distribution points will be available to the public during the event," the group said on Instagram. "Entry into the stadium with sealed containers of water and sealed food will also be permitted, with no limitation on items per person."