Music

Taylor Swift fan dies before Brazil concert amid sweltering conditions

Fan named as Ana Clara Benevides (23) who fainted at the show and had cardiac arrest

Taylor Swift fan dies before concert in Brazil. Photograph: Doug Mills/The New York Times

Harry Taylor
Sat Nov 18 2023 - 13:11

Taylor Swift has said she is “devastated” after a fan died before her concert in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.

The singer posted on Instagram before the first of three concerts in the Brazilian city as part of her Eras world tour.

She said she was “overwhelmed by grief” and would not be talking about the death on stage that evening.

Swift (33) said: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with shatters 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.

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“There’s very little information I have, other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”

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She 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”.

The fan was named by Brazilian newspaper Fohla de S Paulo as Ana Clara Benevides (23) who had fainted at the show and had a cardiac arrest.

Concertgoers had reported sweltering conditions at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, where the concert was held.

Swift briefly paused the concert so water could be given to fans, and could later be seen throwing a bottle of water to fans in the crowd while she was singing.

They had been heard chanting “water, water, water, water”.

After Rio de Janeiro, Swift, one of the best-selling musicians of all time, will play two shows in São Paulo, the last this year as part of her two-year world tour.

She will come to the UK in June 2024, playing three shows in Edinburgh, three in Liverpool and one in Cardiff before a final three in London, where she will be supported by the rock band Paramore.

She will then head across the Irish Channel to play three nights at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Swift is the most streamed female artist on Spotify and Apple Music and the highest-grossing female performer ever. -Guardian

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