Taylor Swift Is Reportedly ‘Leaning on Boyfriend’ Travis Kelce Following the Death of a Fan
Last Friday, November 17, a fan at Taylor Swift’s concert in Brazil died during the weekend’s heatwave after collapsing at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos. The Eras Tour singer has reportedly been devastated by 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado’s death. A source speaking with US Weekly says that the star has been leaning on her boyfriend Travis Kelce in the aftermath of the tragic loss.
“She is so grateful she’s had Travis,” the insider said. “He’s been a huge support system for her right now. Her family has been there, but it’s different to have a boyfriend to lean on.”
The source added, “She was completely beside herself and it’s been so hard for her to talk about,” saying also that Swift’s team “reached out” to Machado’s family.
Hours after her Friday show, Swift wrote about the event in her Instagram Story, saying, “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.”
She went on, “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. 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.”
Machado’s father, Weiny Machado, has asked local officials to investigate the circumstances at the stadium that raised it to such dangerous temperatures.
“I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl,” he told newspaper Folha de São Paulo. “She was about to graduate in Psychology next April, saving money. I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and came back dead.”
He continued, “I want it to be found out whether they were in fact prohibited from bringing water, whether there was negligence in providing assistance. I know that the singer was handing out water to her fans, and that is absurd for an event of this size. Nothing will bring my daughter back, but I hope that, if negligence is confirmed, someone will be punished, so that this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
Swift’s Saturday show was postponed as temperatures continued to soar.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.