Swift postpones Rio concert on Saturday
Taylor Swift postponed an Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro Saturday after a 23-year-old fan died during her Friday night show, according to a message posted on the singer's Instagram.
“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 singer said in a handwritten note posted on her Instagram account. “The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
The cause of death for Ana Clara Benevides Machado, the young woman who sought medical attention at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium during Friday's show, has not yet been announced.
Benevides' death shook many people in Brazil. She had taken her first flight ever to travel from the country's center-west region to Rio to see her favorite musician. She also created a WhatsApp group to keep her family updated, sending photos and videos every step of the way, family members told online news site G1.
Fans and politicians reacted to her death with outrage, speculating it was linked to extreme heat.
Concertgoers complained they were not allowed to take water into the stadium despite the stifling weather. As temperatures continued to rise Saturday and with two more shows to go at the time, federal authorities announced that free water would now be made available at concerts and other large events.
One of Benevides' friends, who also went to the concert, told local outlets they had both been given water while waiting to enter the stadium.
In a handwritten note shared on her social media, Swift said she had a “shattered heart.”
“There's very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young,” the singer wrote of the young woman.
The show's organizer, Time4Fun, said on Instagram that paramedics attended to Benevides after she reported feeling unwell. She was taken to a first-aid center and then to a hospital, where she died an hour later.