Taylor Swift’s favourite teacher and one-time security guard died on the day of her wedding, it has emerged.
Kirk Schwabe, 69, died of cancer on 3 July, the same day the pop star married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
His family confirmed the news to The Telegraph, not long after he gave his first and only interview to the publication ahead of the ceremony.
Schwabe’s wife, Jane, said he treated Swift “like he did his daughters”, while his daughter Jane said: “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. That’s the legacy he leaves behind.”
The Independent has contacted Swift’s representative for comment.
Schwabe was a Chicago police officer before becoming a criminal justice teacher at Hendersonville high School in Nashville, where Swift attended between 2004 to 2006.
In 2009, he quit his job to work as Swift’s security guard at the request of her father, just as her career was beginning to take off.
Speaking to The Telegraph in the days leading up to the pop star’s wedding, Schwabe recalled telling her she was a “superstar”.
“This is not fun and games no more. You are it. Everything keeps going up and up and up, and the sky’s the limit for you.”
He joked that she was “not the fastest dresser” and much of his job entailed waiting for her during costume changes.
Schwabe quit his role a few years later after feeling burnt out: “I said, ‘Taylor, look, I’m burnt out, I can’t keep up. I think you’re better getting a professional security guard to come and protect you,’” he recalled.
Swift once described Schwabe’s criminal justice class as the “most exciting” she ever took, seemingly incorporating those lessons into songs such as “No Body, No Crime”.
She also paid tribute to her former teacher when making a cameo in the 2010 romantic comedy Valentine’s Day, naming her character’s teacher Mr Schwabe.
In his interview, having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Schwabe recalled stepping in to stop fellow students from picking on Swift after receiving a call from her father.
“It was taken care of that day,” he said.
Schwabe is survived by his wife, Jane, and their daughters.
