Taylor Swift issues heartfelt letter after death of fan at her Rio de Janeiro gig

Over the weekend, news broke of the death of 23-year-old Brazilian Swiftie Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who felt faint during Swift's concert in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.

Taylor Swift’s Friday show took place during a heat wave that caused record high temperatures in the Brazilian capital city, which, per the heat index, made it feel like nearly 140 degrees fahrenheit that day which is roughly 60 degrees celsius.

Rio de Janeiro officials reported that Benevides experienced cardiac arrest after losing consciousness at the concert.

Swift shared a handwritten note on social media after the show at Rio de Janeiro’s Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos to express her sorrow over the loss and postponed her following gig taking place in the Brazilian capital.

As written in a handwritten letter Swift shared on her social media reads "it's with a shattered heart that I say that we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show".

The musician continues: "I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it".

The musician cancelled her final Sunday night show in the Brazilian capital as a result of the death.

The concert’s organizer, T4F, wrote on their Instagram page that paramedics attended to the woman after she reported feeling unwell. She was first taken to a first aid area and then to a hospital, where she passed away shortly after, according to the Brazilian promoter.

However fans and attendees at the concert have reported that the event was inadequately and dangerously organised. The organisers did not allow fans to bring bottles of water into the concert with them and many posted that there was insufficient resources to get water to members of the audience.

During the show, her first of three at the venue, Swift paused her performance to ask for water for a group of fans who indicated they needed it.

In a fan captured video on X, it showed that the singer indicated that there were a group of fans signalling their need for water at the concert:

| @taylorswift13 making sure a fan needing water gets attended to in the extreme heat ❤️ #RioDeJaneiroTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/UA7pwmnecP

— Taylor Swift Updates (@swifferupdates) November 17, 2023

The father of the Taylor Swift fan Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who died during the unprecedented heatwave in Rio de Janeiro says he’s “devastated” and wants promoters to be investigated after attendees said they faced “unbearable” conditions.

Ana Clara Benevides Machado was a final year psychology  student, was 23 years old at the time of death. Taylor Swift fans have crowdfunded to transport Ana Benevides' body back to her hometown.