Find out who Ana Clara Benevides was, a Taylor Swift fan who died at a concert in RJ

Psychology student and Taylor Swift fan. The young woman Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23 years old, died on Friday night (November 17), in Rio de Janeiro, after feeling ill while fulfilling a dream: watching the North American singer’s show up close. The thermal sensation recorded at the site reached 60ºC and firefighters unofficially recorded a thousand fainting spells during the event. The young woman’s death generated commotion, revolt and calls for justice on social media.

Ana Clara was born in Mato Grosso do Sul, but lived in Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso, where she was studying psychology at the Federal University of Rondonópolis (UFR). At the university, she was engaged with the student community and was part of the UFR Psychology Academic Athletic Association. The group even published a note wishing condolences to family and friends. “Our sincere condolences to her family and friends at this difficult time. May they find comfort in the memories and love she left as a legacy,” the post reads.

Friends and family said that she was a big fan of the singer and that she was in Rio de Janeiro to make a dream come true. Ana was in the city accompanied by her friend Daniele Menin. In an interview with the G1 portal, Daniele said that he met Ana at college and that they planned to go to the show together. The dream of meeting singer Taylor Swift was a dream for both of them.

“We always said that when she [Taylor Swift] If they came to Brazil, we would find a way to go, the ticket was very expensive, but we still found a way”, she commented. That Friday, the two got ready for the show, faced the queue and were together when everything happened.

According to Daniele, the young woman started to feel sick during the song Cruel Summer, the second in the repertoire. “In the second song she simply passed out. Then we took her out with the help of the security guards and ran to the support post in the stadium. They attended to her and took her to the ambulance”, remembers Daniele.

Death

Benevides was on the railing and ended up fainting at the scene. According to nurse Thiago Fernandes, 22, a friend of Benevides, she was revived at the stadium for around 40 minutes. On the way to the hospital, she had a second stop. The young woman arrived around 8 pm, was treated, but did not survive, later dying in the hospital located near Engenhão, in Méier, north of the capital of Rio de Janeiro.

Hours after Ana Clara’s death, the company organizing the event, Tickets For Fun, commented on the case and mourned the girl’s death. In a post on social media, the organizer stated that Benevides was “promptly attended to”. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23 years old. Last night, Ana Clara felt unwell and was promptly attended to by the team of brigade members and paramedics, being taken to the medical station at the Nilton Santos Stadium for the first aid protocol”, he clarified.

Fans demand justice

The repercussion on social media of Ana Clara’s death reached the top five of the trending topics on X, formerly Twitter, during the early hours of this Saturday (11/18). In publications, fans of the singer ask for “Justice for Ana” and for the company organizing the event to distribute water during upcoming shows. The report questioned Tickets For Fun about the measures adopted for the upcoming shows and is awaiting feedback.

Amid the commotion, fans of singer Taylor Swift also started a petition to try to create a law that would force producers to provide free water at major artists’ shows. The initiative already has 50 thousand signatures, until the last update of this report. The idea is that the initiative is called Lei Ana Benevides, in honor of the student who died last Friday (17) during a performance by the American singer in Rio de Janeiro.

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