Taylor Swift fans pay tribute to Swiftie killed on way home from The Eras Tour
Houston, Texas - After a Taylor Swift fan was tragically killed in a car accident on the way home from The Eras Tour, Swifties are paying tribute to him in a special way.
The 33-year-old singer took the stage in Houston, Texas, for three shows at NRG Stadium (Taylor's Version) as part of her sold-out stadium tour.
20-year-old Jacob Lewis and his sister, April Bancroft, were among the concertgoers at Friday's show, donning Swift-inspired outfits from the Lover era.
On their way home from the venue, Jacob had issues with his car and exited the vehicle to begin pushing it toward the exit.
Tragically, the young fan was struck by a suspected drunk driver and killed instantly. His sister suffered minor injuries.
The siblings' father, Steve Lewis, shared the story via Facebook on Sunday.
"Jacob will be remembered as a loving and faithful young man who was loyal to his family and friends. His last act was to push his sister to safety on a dark street," Steve wrote. "There is no way to describe the magnitude of this loss and the emptiness left in our hearts."
After Steve's post went viral, Swifties took action to help the family after the tragedy.
Taylor Swift fans honor the memory of Jacob Lewis
A fundraiser to honor Jacob's memory and aid the family with funeral costs was created by the Pokémon Community of Houston, which Jacob and Steve were both a part of.
The GoFundMe was soon shared by many prominent social media pages within the Taylor Swift fandom, and thousands of Swifties have since contributed to the cause.
Many of the donations from fans were $13, as a reference to Swift's favorite number. Others shared sweet messages and honored Jacob's memory with lyrics from one of her songs, Long Live.
The fundraiser has now earned over $110,000 for the Lewis family.
A Swiftie reached out to April, who shared that Jacob's favorite song was Shake It Off, and created a friendship bracelet project to honor him at future shows.
Per FOX 26, 34-year-old Alan Bryant Hayes has been charged with a DWI and failure to render aid in an accident involving death in connection with the fatal crash.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire & Screenshot/Facebook/Steve Lewis