A 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan died during the singer’s Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro on Friday evening, according to a statement from the show’s organizers in Brazil.
The cause of Ana Clara Benevides Machado’s death was not announced, but local media reported that people in the crowd were not allowed to bring water into the stadium despite the high temperatures.
The city’s mayor called for changes before the global star’s last two shows.
The Rio prosecutor’s office opened a criminal investigation and said that the body of the deceased was being examined.
In a handwritten note posted to her social media pages, Taylor Swift says she is heartbroken.
I have very little information other than the fact that she was incredibly beautiful and far too young [pour mourir].
The company responsible for organizing the concert in Brazil, Time4Fun, said on Instagram that Benevides had been treated by paramedics after feeling unwell. She was taken to the stadium’s first aid station and then to a hospital, where she died an hour later, the statement said.
Several local media outlets reported that bottled water would not be allowed at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium, even as the city of Rio de Janeiro and most cities in Brazil experienced record temperatures this week amid a dangerous and prolonged heat wave. and even as people lined up in the sun for several hours.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino stated on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that the ministry would introduce emergency rules for access to drinking water at shows and other public activities.
The online news site G1 reported that a friend of Ms. Benevides, who attended the concert with her, said her friend fainted at the start of the concert when Swift performed her second song, Cruel Summer.
A photo of the two friends shows them in Taylor Swift T-shirts at the stadium.
We’ve always said that [Taylor Swift] If we came to Brazil, we would find a way there. The ticket was very expensive, but we still found a way.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes wrote in a tweet on X that the loss of a young woman’s life was unacceptable.
As authorities investigate the circumstances of the death, Mayor Paes said the municipality will require Saturday’s concert organizers to install water distribution points, increase the number of rescue teams on site and open the gates for the other two performances an hour earlier from the stadium .
Taylor Swift was scheduled to perform two more performances in Rio on Saturday and Sunday, but the first performance was canceled due to the incident.
“I won’t be able to talk about it on stage,” the singer said, saying she was overcome with grief when she tried to talk about it in person.
“I want to tell you that I feel this loss deeply and my heartbreak goes out to his family and friends,” Taylor Swift concluded.