Taylor Swift's concert in Brazil scheduled for Saturday night, has been postponed following the tragic death of a fan just before the start of her Rio de Janeiro performance on Friday.
She revealed the delay on her Instagram story and penned the following message, “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 safety and wellbeing of my fans, fellow performers and crew always has to come first.”
Earlier, Swift, 33, said she was “devastated” at the news of the fan’s death and was “overwhelmed by grief”.
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On Friday, Rio set a record high for the heat index, a combination of temperature and humidity, reaching 59.3 degrees Celsius (138.7 degrees Fahrenheit). The following day, the heat index reached its peak at 59.7 degrees Celsius (139.5). Around 60,000 fans assembled on Friday for Swift's sold-out inaugural concert at the open-air stadium, located in a warmer northern neighborhood distant from Rio's refreshing beaches.
The organizers of the show, Time4Fun (T4F), issued a statement indicating that paramedics provided assistance to Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, at the concert venue. She was subsequently transported to a hospital, where she passed away an hour later.
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The singer said: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this.
“There’s very little information I have, other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”
Swift momentarily halted the show to distribute water to the fans and was later seen tossing a bottle of water into the crowd while singing. The audience had been audibly chanting, "Water, water, water, water."
Swift said her heart went out to the fan’s family and friends, and it was the “last thing I thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil”.
Rio de Janeiro’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, said on X that the “loss of a young woman’s life … is unacceptable”. As investigations into the circumstances of the death are ongoing, Paes stated that the municipality will require the show's production company to introduce additional water distribution points, increase the availability of ambulances, and advance the entry time by one hour.
Justice Minister, Flavio Dino, also announced that the government would issue a directive allowing water bottles to be brought into concerts.
