Taylor Swift postpones scorching Rio de Janeiro show after fan’s death

Rio De Janeiro, The Gulf Observer: 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 on Instagram. “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. The office of Rio’s public prosecutor opened a criminal investigation and said Benevides’ body was being examined.

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.

“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, the statement from the Brazilian live entertainment company said.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes wrote on X that the “loss of a young woman’s life … is unacceptable” and demanded more brigades and ambulances at future shows.

Still, the concert was postponed.

“We are on the train. And everyone is so disappointed,” said Hely Olivares, a 41 year-old Venezuelan who had traveled from Panama to see the artist.

Before postponing the concert, Swift wrote on Instagram that she would not address the death from stage “because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.”

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