Gabriel Milhomem Santos has died after being fatally stabbed before he was supposed to go and see a Taylor Swift concert. The 25-year-old was killed just hours before he attended the pop star’s Eras Tour show at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. He was reportedly stabbed as he rested on the famous Copacabana beach in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Gabriel is the second Taylor fan to tragically die this weekend, following the death of 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides. She is said to have gone into cardiac arrest at the concert on Friday night, before being taken to hospital where she died an hour later.
Gabriel’s family members have said he will be laid to rest tomorrow in his hometown in the western state of Mato Gross do Sul. As a special tribute to the 25-year-old, he will be laid to rest wearing the clothes he had made for Taylor’s concert.
Speaking to local media g1, Gabriel’s family said he was “fulfilling a dream” by travelling to see Taylor’s show. Gabriel had travelled to Rio from Belo Horizonte to watch his idol perform.
His family said he was “cheerful, affectionate and extremely studious”. They added: “Gabriel is an only child, he has always been by his mother’s side, even after he went to study in another state.”
Gabriel was said to have been with two cousins when they decided to go for a swim at the famous Copacabana beach. According to The Messenger, Gabriel had dozed off when he was approached by three men. He was stabbed when he suddenly woke up in the middle of the assault.
Taylor is yet to comment on Gabriel’s death. Following the death of Ana Clara, the singer took to Instagram to share an emotional message.
She said: “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 to add: “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.”
Ana Clara is reported to have felt unwell at Taylor’s show, with paramedics attending to her at the concert. She was then taken to hospital where she sadly died an hour later.
The 23-year-old is believed to have gone into cardiac arrest after fainting as she waited for the concert to begin as temperatures inside the stadium soared to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Firefighters have announced around 1,000 fans had fainted in the searing heat, with others having to be helped after vomiting.
Last night Taylor made the decision to postpone her second show in Rio and she shared a heartfelt statement on Instagram. She wrote: “I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio.
“The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew has to and always will come first.” The show has now been postponed to Monday night.
The news came after the organisers of the gig T4F, an entertainment company also known as Time For Fun, released a statement announcing new safety measures for tonight’s performance. They said: “Given the forecast of an increase in the heat wave in the city, we inform you that we are reinforcing the special action plan carried out for the first day of the show, especially the provision of free water in the queues and at all accesses and entrances to the stadium and inside. In this way, new free water distribution points will be available to the public during the event.
The statement continued: “We also emphasise that the prohibition of bottles of water entering stadiums is a requirement made by public bodies and that we do not sell drinks and food, this being the responsibility of the stadium administration.”
They added: “The service staff was reinforced. Around 200 extra employees will join the 1,230 professionals who have been working on the event since the beginning, including security guards, fire brigade members, audience advisors and others. Furthermore, the medical care structure was reinforced, totalling 08 available medical stations, 08 ambulances and 08 mobile ICUs.”
In other news – Peter Spellos dies after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
Transformers voice actor Peter Spellos has died at the age of 69, after being diagnosed with cancer. Peter reportedly died earlier this morning whilst at a hospice facility in Indiana. He’s said to have been receiving care at the facility as his health deteriorated, with him having reportedly been diagnosed pancreatic cancer previously.
The actor has worked on numerous films and TV shows over the course of his decades-long career. It’s understood to have included various voice roles, such as in anime productions, and he has also featured in high-profile film franchises. Read More
