Taylor Swift postpones her Rio show after fan dies during concert

RIO DE JANEIRO — Taylor Swift postponed her Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday after a 23-year-old fan died during her show Friday night, according to a message posted on the singer’s Instagram.

“I’m writing this from my dressing room at the stadium. Due to the extreme temperatures in Rio, the decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show,” the singer said in a handwritten note on her Instagram account. “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow artists, and my team must and will always come first.”

The cause of death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, a young woman who sought medical attention at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium during Friday’s demonstration, has not yet been announced. The Rio prosecutor’s office opened a criminal investigation and said Benevides’ body was being examined.

Benevides’ death shook many people in Brazil. He had taken his first plane to travel from the midwest of the country to Rio to see his favorite musician. He also created a WhatsApp group to keep his family updated, sending photos and videos every step of the way, family members told online news site G1.

Fans and politicians reacted angrily to his death, suggesting it was linked to extreme heat.

Concertgoers complained that they were not allowed to take water into the stadium despite the sultry weather. As temperatures continued to rise Saturday and there were two more shows scheduled at that time, federal officials announced free water would now be provided at concerts and other large events.

One of Benevides’ friends who went to the concert also told local media that they were both given water while waiting to enter the stadium.

Swift said her “heart was shattered” in a handwritten note shared on social media.

“I have very little information about the young woman other than the fact that she is incredibly beautiful and very young,” the singer wrote.

Time4Fun, the programme’s organizer, said on Instagram that paramedics intervened after Benevides reported feeling unwell. In the statement made by the Brazilian live entertainment company, it was stated that the woman was first taken to a first aid center and then to the hospital, where she died an hour later.

Fans attending Friday’s demonstration said they were not allowed to bring water bottles into the stadium despite record-breaking temperatures across Rio and much of Brazil this week amid a dangerous and persistent heat wave. The daytime high temperature in Rio on Friday was 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit, but it was much warmer.

The apparent temperature (the combination of temperature and humidity) reached 138 F in Rio on Friday morning; this was the highest index ever recorded.

Elizabeth Morin, 26, who recently moved to Rio from Los Angeles, described the “sauna-like” conditions inside the stadium.

“It was extremely hot. “As soon as I walked in, my hair was wet with sweat,” he said. “There was a point where I had to control my breathing to make sure I wasn’t going to pass out.”

Morin said he drank plenty of water but saw “a lot of people looking distressed” and others “yelling for water.” He said he could get water from the edges of the area where he was standing, but it was much more difficult to access water from other parts of the stadium, “especially if you’re worried about losing your specific location.”

According to Morin, Swift paused her performance during the show and asked for water to be brought from the stage to a group of people who managed to catch the singer’s attention.

“They were holding up their phones saying, ‘We need water,’” he recalled.

Two other concertgoers interviewed by The Associated Press said they witnessed people feeling unwell during the show because of the heat.

Before Friday’s concert, Benevides posted a video on Instagram of herself wearing a Taylor Swift T-shirt and friendship bracelets, looking for shade under an umbrella while waiting in line to enter the stadium.

In the video he sent to his family members and published by the Globo News channel, he told them: “Mom, look at the plane, it’s moving. Mom, I’m on the plane. My God in heaven! I’m happy!”

Thousands of fans like him waited in the sun for hours before being allowed inside.

He told his followers, fanning his face, that he arrived at 11am, the show started around 7.30pm and he was “still in a mess”.

Benevides’ friend, Daniele Menin, who attended the concert with her, told online news site G1 that her friend fainted at the beginning of the concert when Swift performed her second song, “Cruel Summer.”

“We always said that when (Taylor Swift) came to Brazil, we would find a way to go. The ticket was very expensive, but we still found a way,” Menin told G1.

Minister of Justice Flávio Dino said on the .

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes wrote to X: “The loss of life of a young woman… is unacceptable.”

While authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding Benevides’ death, Paes said the city will request that the production company create new water distribution points for Swift’s shows in Rio, provide more crew and ambulances and increase the time it takes for concertgoers to enter the stadium by one point. hour.

Before postponing Saturday’s concert, Swift wrote on Instagram that she would not talk about the death on stage: “Because even when I try to talk about it I feel overwhelmed with grief.”

“I now want to say that I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to his family and friends,” he said.