Taylor Swift staged an emotional tribute to late fan Ana Clara Benevides during her concert in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night.
Benevides, 23, died after suffering cardiac arrest while attending Swift’s first show in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
Swift returned to the stage for the first time since Benevides’ death and honored the fan with a performance of “Bigger Than the Whole Sky.” Swift was noticeably emotional during the performance as she fought back tears and almost choked as she sang the lyrics: “Have you been taken by force because I didn’t pray?”
Benevides had reportedly been at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium for more than eight hours when she began to feel unwell. Temperatures in Rio de Janerio topped 90 degrees Friday and water bottles were not allowed in the venue.
In a statement released on social media about Benevides’ death, Swift wrote, “I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but with a broken heart I say we lost a fan before my show tonight.”
“I can’t tell you how devastated I am about this,” she continued. “There is very little information that I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”
Swift added that she would not talk about Benevides’ death during her performances because “I get overwhelmed with grief if I even try to talk about it.” I want to say now that I feel this loss deeply and my condolences is with her family and friends. That’s the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”
Due to the extreme temperatures in Rio de Janeiro, Swift then postponed a concert originally planned for Saturday to Monday.
🎥| @TaylorSwift13 Performance of “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”#RioTSTheErasTourpic.twitter.com/Fd4R7HywXh
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) November 20, 2023
This angle is larger than the entire sky tonight. Wow pic.twitter.com/Q51Kr63yTb
— Karma Clown #1 ✨ (@tsisitovernow) November 20, 2023