Why Taylor Swift fan d.ied of heat exhaustion at Rio ‘Eras Tour’ stop: forensic report

Authorities in Brazil released the official cause of death of the 23-year-old fan who died at Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” stop in Rio de Janeiro over a month after the tragic loss of life.


Rio’s Forensic Medical Institute listed heat exhaustion as the cause of Ana Clara Benevides’ death.

Benevides passed out while Swift was performing the second song of her set, “Cruel Summer,” at the Nov. 17 concert in Rio de Janeiro, according to the report. The heat exposure caused Benevides to have “serious compromise of her lungs,” which led the young woman to have a cardiorespiratory arrest, the forensics expert noted. The report also claimed there were no preexisting conditions or substance abuse.

Benevides died hours later after being taken to a local hospital.

Taylor Swift in a sparkly leotard performs on stage at Gillette Stadium
A Taylor Swift fan died from heat exhaustion, according to a new forensic report. (Scott Eisen/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

A representative for Swift did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fans lined up for hours before the show, and many accused organizers of failing to deliver enough water for the more than 60,000 attending the concert at the Nilton Santos Stadium. They claimed they were not allowed to take their own water into the stadium.

Temperatures in Rio de Janeiro that day reached 105 F.

Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour"

Ana Clara Benevides passed out while Taylor Swift was performing “Cruel Summer” from the “Lover” era. The 23-year-old later died after being taken to a local hospital. (John Medina/Getty Images)

Swift’s tour stop in Rio was organized by T4F. CEO Serafim Abreu said in a video, days after Benevides’ death, the company would change its protocols for events under extreme heat. He also said T4F would offer assistance to her family.

The office of Rio’s public prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation. Rio police said in a statement on Wednesday that after the forensics report is analyzed, “representatives of the company organizing the event will be called to testify.”

Swift shared she had a “shattered heart” after she learned of the fan’s death.

Taylor Swift Instagram message

Taylor Swift wrote that she was “devastated” after a fan died at her Brazil concert. (Taylor Swift/Instagram)

“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,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “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. 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,” Swift added.

WATCH: TAYLOR SWIFT GETS EMOTIONAL SINGING ‘BIGGER THAN THE WHOLE SKY’ IN BRAZIL

 

Swift met with Benevides’ family at the Nov. 26 “Eras Tour” stop in São Paulo.

The singer-songwriter also performed “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” as a surprise song after Benevides’ death. The song features lyrics such as “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye/You were bigger than the whole sky/You were more than just a short time.”