Ana Clara Benevides’ mother, a Taylor Swift fan, is emotional over fundraising to return her daughter’s body

News

by olivia land

The distraught mother of Taylor Swift, who died due to extreme heat at the singer’s concert in Rio de Janeiro last weekend, has thanked fans for crowdfunding to bring her daughter’s body home after she criticized event organizers for not helping to facilitate her return.

Ana Clara Benevides’ mother, Adriana, appeared emotional in a video in response to the fundraising campaign launched after the young woman’s death following an Eras Tour show on Friday in Rio.

“Thank God, we reached the goal this morning. We received an amount that allowed us to do everything we wanted. Thank God, a lot of people donated,” she said in vAn idea translated on X.

Benevides, 23, fell ill at the beginning of the show and later died in hospital. The young woman’s friend told local outlet G1.

Newsweek reported that organizers of the stadium show, Time For Fun (T4F), later came under fire for allegedly not helping the psychology student’s family transport her body back home to the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

“This is what hurts me the most. She has been there since Friday…the people from the party who collected her are not giving us support to bring her home,” Benevides’ mother said in a tearful appearance on Brazilian television earlier this week.

“I know these things don’t reach the singers and the artists don’t know it, but we wanted them to help us bring it home because we have to pay for everything,” she said.

Although Benevides’ official cause of death has not been revealed, it is believed she suffered from a heat-related illness caused by the extreme temperatures at the concert.

At showtime, temperatures in Rio were around 102 degrees Fahrenheit — coupled with 70 percent humidity, putting it closer to 138 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the television program.

In the wake of Benevides’ death, T4F as well They faced scrutiny for not allowing water bottles into the crowded stadium Despite the harsh conditions – which eventually forced Swift, 33, to postpone her concert on Saturday.

Benevides’ father, Winnie Machado, told Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo: “I want to know if they are actually banned from fetching water, and if there is negligence in providing assistance.”

Newsweek added that T4F responded to the criticism by saying that “the ban on water bottles entering stadiums is a requirement by public bodies” and that the organizer does not “sell drinks and food, which is the responsibility of stadium management.”

At several points during Friday’s show, Swift was seen stopping to adjust to the conditions and asking fans for water.

“I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a broken heart to say that we lost a fan earlier the night before my show,” the “All Too Well” singer said. She wrote about Benevides’ death on her Instagram Stories early Saturday morning.

“I can’t even tell you how shocked I am by this,” she added, noting that she had “very little information” about what happened.

Pennsylvania native later She gave a moving rendition of her song “Bigger Than The Whole Sky.” at her show on Sunday, which many fans saw as a tribute to Benevides.

Swift now She is believed to be re-evaluating her Thanksgiving plans After being knocked aside by the sudden loss.

“Brazil concerts…they are devastated by the death of a fan. The weather is extreme. It’s a mess you didn’t expect. It was a painful experience. It was too much. “She will decide today,” an insider told Page Six of the singer’s apparent decision to stay in Brazil over the weekend.