Taylor Swift’s former teacher and onetime security guard died on the same day the pop star married Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Kirk Schwabe, 69, died from renal cancer on July 3, as Swift exchanged vows in a private ceremony at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, The Telegraph reported.
Before entering the classroom, Schwabe served as a Chicago police officer. He later taught Swift criminal justice at Henderson High School in Nashville, Tennessee, from 2004 to 2006.
As Swift’s music career gained momentum in 2009, Schwabe left his teaching role and, at the request of her family, began working as her bodyguard.
Swift later paid tribute to him during her cameo in Garry Marshall’s romantic comedy Valentine’s Day, naming her character’s teacher Mr. Schwabe.
In an interview before the wedding, Schwabe recalled telling a young Swift, “You’re a superstar. This is not fun and games no more. You are it,” according to The Telegraph.
“Everything keeps going up and up and up, and the sky’s the limit for you,” he remembered telling her.
Still, Schwabe said witnessing Swift’s rapid ascent to global fame was, at times, “a panic.”
Kirk Schwabe, 69, Taylor Swift’s favorite teacher who later became her body guard, died of renal cancer on Friday at the age of 69
His wife, Jane, said he treated Swift ‘like he did his daughters’
‘If anything happens, I’m the guy,’ he noted. ‘We got four or 500 people in here and I got extra security guards, but I don’t know a lot of those guys who got hired, I don’t know what their qualifications are.’
Schwabe ultimately decided to leave the job after a few years, saying he was burnt out but still loved the singer.
In the years since, his family said he remained immensely proud of everything Swift accomplished and that he was happy for her and Kelce.
His wife, Jane, said he treated Swift ‘like he did his daughters.’
Sarah, one of his daughters, added: ‘My dad had a remarkable way of making people feel seen, valued and protected.
‘Whether you were family, one of his students or someone like Taylor whose path crossed his, he cared deeply about people,’ she said. ‘That’s the legacy he leaves behind.’
Schwabe also told The Telegraph in his final interview that he was confident his former student chose a good husband.
‘I do trust Taylor’s judgment,’ he said. ‘She knows what’s best.’
Schwabe’s death came the same day Swift married Travis Kelce (pictured together in March) in front of 1,000 of their closest friends – including some of the world’s biggest stars – at New York City’s Madison Square Garden
Billboards outside the venue revealed the news shortly after the couple said ‘I do’
Swift and Kelce tied the knot in front of 1,000 of their closest friends – including some of the world’s biggest stars – in a colossal blowout at the historic arena in New York City on Friday.
At exactly 7.30pm, the couple shared the news in blockbuster style, lighting up the iconic music venue with video ads which read ‘JUST&T MARRIED!’, a romantic nod to their shared initials.
And now, some of the A-list guests have offered a first glimpse into how the couple overhauled the space into their own fairytale wedding.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday morning, personal trainer Rob Jordan’s wife, Joann Jordan, shared photos of her and her husband taken on the day of the wedding.
One of the snaps showed the couple walking up the large staircase to the party, which was covered in a gorgeous, peach-colored velvet carpet.
Surrounding the stairs were light and dark pink curtains, making the space private and magical.
‘An unforgettable evening in New York celebrating the beginning of a beautiful new chapter for our dear friends, Travis and Taylor. Love was in the air, the city was magical and every detail was simply unforgettable,’ Joann Jordan wrote in the caption.
AMC CEO Adam Aron also shared how MSG was completely transformed into a ‘secret garden’ for the couple.
In a now-deleted post on X, Aron shared every detail of the night, including the fact that Kelce wore a white tuxedo, while Swift was in a ‘stunning white wedding dress.’
Swift fans took selfies next to a screen announcing Swift and Kelce’s marriage
Screens on vehicles outside the venue displayed messages congratulating the couple
Taylor Swift’s wedding: Read all the top stories
‘It did not look like Madison Square Garden. Immediately upon entry, everything… floors, walls, ceilings… was draped in peach and white,’ Aron wrote, in part.
‘Large blown up pictures of Taylor and Travis at each age, year by year from one year-old to late teenager-hood, were on display,’ his messaged continued.
‘A small portion of MSG was cordoned off, devoid of any notion that that a basketball or hockey game ever shared that space. Somehow magically, someone created an outdoor garden at a lush countryside retreat.’
‘Everything draped off this time in green and white. Real flowers and I think artificial trees welcomed fifteen rows of maybe 75 or so chairs. They say there were around one thousand attendees, but surprisingly, it all felt intimate and small. Everything was close.’
The CEO described the exchange of their vows as ’emotional’ and ‘charming.’
‘Long, entertaining, personal, charming, emotional, irreverent and endearing explorations by each as to how they met, why they want to be with each other for all eternity, the promises they made in joining their much-beloved two whole families (Kelce’s and Swift’s) as one, and committing to their new mutual life together,’ he wrote.
He emphasized that Swift and Kelce had clearly found their ‘soulmate’ in each other, and guests had witnessed ‘real’ and true ‘pure joy.’
Tom Brady looked somber as he became one of the first stars to leave
Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper were seen departing Madison Square Garden
Millie Bobby Brown was also seen leaving the venue
Both the bride and groom were dressed in Christian Dior, Swift’s publicist announced after they said their ‘I dos.’
There were no bridesmaids. Instead, Taylor’s brother, Austin Swift, acted as her ‘man of honor’, and Travis’s brother, Jason Kelce, was the best man.
Jason’s daughters were the flower girls, tossing petals at Taylor’s feet as she made her way down the aisle with a string quartet playing one of her own songs.
George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan spilled some more details about the biggest wedding of the year on Good Morning America on Saturday morning.
‘It was really this garden inside The Garden,’ Stephanopoulos said. ‘It was just so beautiful.’
‘We can confirm that Stevie Nicks performed,’ his cohost Robin Roberts followed up.
Roberts and Stephanopoulos both agreed that despite the large guest list, the ceremony was ‘intimate.’
‘It’s hard to imagine that a place that big, and a wedding with such stars, could feel so personal and so intimate,’ Stephanopoulos said.
Karlie Kloss and her husband, Joshua Kushner, made a surprise addition to the guest list – after reports of a feud in recent years
Selena Gomez shared this photo of her and her husband, Benny Blanco, ahead of the wedding
The guest list included a dazzling array of the world’s biggest stars.
Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, Lena Dunham and Dakota Johnson were among the bride’s closest friends there.
Steven Spielberg was also in attendance, and Beyonce and Jay Z are also understood to have attended.
There was also Brad Pitt, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Hugh Grant, Graham Norton, Jessica Alba, Tom Brady, Chris Rock and almost every NFL player imaginable.
The guest list also included Zoe Kravitz, Graham Norton, Ethan Hawke, Nelly, Andrew Scott, Ice Spice, Kareem Hunt and Laura Dern.
Eagle-eyed fans clocked some surprise guests and notable absences.
Karlie Kloss, once known as one of Swift’s closest friends, attended with her husband Joshua Kushner.
Swift did not attend Kloss’s 2019 wedding after the pair had a rumored feud over the model’s close bond with the singer’s nemesis Scooter Braun.
Her inclusion on the guest list appeared to signal the pair had patched up their relationship.
However, there was no sign of Swift’s longtime pal Blake Lively, with whom the pop star had a purported falling out over her inclusion in the movie star’s legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
