United States: US singer Taylor Swift has postponed a concert in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, after a fan died shortly before her show on November 17.
The decision came as thousands of people were already at the stadium as part of her record-breaking Eras tour. “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first,” Taylor Swift wrote on Instagram.
Authorities warned of the danger to life as temperatures in Rio reached 39.1 ºC before the weekend. The show’s organisers, Time4Fun (T4F), said in a statement that paramedics had attended to Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, at the concert venue and taken her to a hospital, where she died an hour later.
Swift said that she was “devastated” at the news of the fan’s death and was “overwhelmed by grief.” The US singer added that this was “the last thing” she thought would happen when she brought the tour to Brazil.
“I cannot believe I am writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I cannot even tell you how devastated I am by this. There’s very little information I have, other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young,” the pop star remarked.
Taylor Swift is due to play two more shows in Rio before heading to Sao Paulo. In June 2024, she will visit the UK and perform in Edinburgh, London, Liverpool, and Cardiff. The show scheduled for the last day has been rescheduled for Monday, as per the T4F.