Taylor Swift and her mother donate $50,000 to the family of a man who died from COVID-19

24 March 2021

Taylor Swift and her mother, Andrea Swift, have donated $50,000 to the family of a man who died after a battle with COVID-19.

Taylor Swift

The ‘Cardigan’ hitmaker and her mother made the joint donation to a woman named Vicki Quarles after her husband, Theodis Ray Quarles, passed away due to the illness and left behind her and their five daughters - Alyssa, Anaya, Asia, Allie, and Aryah.

Taylor and Andrea paid the money to a GoFundMe page set up by Vicki’s close friend DeQuanda Smith, who stated the widow had "lost her husband to COVID-19" exactly one week before Christmas (25.12.20).

Writing in the description of the fundraiser, DeQuanda explained: "Exactly one week before Christmas, my dear friend Vicki lost her husband to COVID-19. While so many families have lost loved ones in 2020 for various reasons, this one reminded me of the unexpected loss of superstar NBA champion, Kobe Bryant. Except the MVP of this family of five daughters is Theodis Ray Quarles. When the paramedics arrived to the Quarles' home to transport Theodis to the hospital for breathing difficulties, Vicki wasn't allowed to accompany her husband due to quarantine restrictions. Little did she know that this would be her final engagement with her best friend. She later received a call from the hospital that Theodis had succumb to this awful virus.

“Please and thank you in advance for your support and know that all is greatly appreciated...be it financial or merely sharing this opportunity for others to help make a difference in the lives of these young daughters. (sic)”

The Swifts’ lump-sum donation met the fundraiser’s $50,000 goal, and as of Tuesday (23.03.21), the donations have surpassed $60,000.

Taylor is known for her charitable deeds, and last year the 31-year-old star donated $3000 to several fans who were suffering financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ‘Exile’ singer reached out to several of her supporters via private message asking for their PayPal details to gift the sums after reading about their struggles online.