Taylor Swift's recent Eras Tour show in Brazil concluded in tragedy as it was revealed that one of the singer's young fans in attendance had passed away due to cardiac arrest.
The organizers, T4F, confirmed this unfortunate news with a statement on Saturday (November 18), identifying the 23-year-old woman as Ana Clara Benevides.
Their statement conveyed: "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23. Last night, Ana Clara felt unwell and was promptly attended to by the team of firefighters and paramedics, being taken to the medical center at the Nilton Santos Stadium for first aid protocol."
"Given the situation, the medical team chose to transfer her to Salgado Filho Hospital, where, after almost an hour of emergency care, she unfortunately died," they continued. "To the family and friends of Ana Clara Benevides, our sincere condolences."
Following her tragic death, some Swift fans are using social media to draw attention to the conditions inside the crowded Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Friday (November 17).
In videos posted on Instagram and Twitter, audience members can be heard repeatedly chanting for water during the show, as the apparent temperature reportedly soared to 60°C.
📹 | During the show Taylor helped fans get water due to the extreme heat“Sorry it’s just very hot so when somebody says they need water and it’s this hot they really need it.” #RioTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/2ttYlpujWH— Taylor Swift Updates 🩵 (@TSwiftLA) November 18, 2023
These fan-shared clips also depicted Swift halting her performance multiple times to request the distribution of water bottles among the 60,000-strong crowd.
In one video, the 33-year-old singer can be heard saying, "Sorry, it’s just that it’s very hot, so when somebody says they need water, when it’s this hot, they really need it. We don’t need to chant, it’s totally fine. We just need to get water to them."
Brazil is currently in the grip of an intense heatwave, with the "feels like" temperature reaching 58.5°C on Tuesday (November 14). Earlier this week, red alerts were issued for nearly 3,000 towns and cities across the country, impacting over a hundred million people.
According to a Folha news report, Benevides arrived at the venue at 11 am and fainted shortly before Swift’s show began at 7:30 pm. She was reportedly resuscitated before being transferred to a local hospital, where she died from cardiac arrest.
It was also reported that approximately 1,000 people fainted at the show on Friday, according to unofficial estimates from firefighters, with several individuals allegedly suffering from dehydration and falling ill.
Following Benevides’s tragic death, numerous fans took to social media to urge organizers to lift the ban on bringing water bottles inside the venue due to the unprecedented heatwave. One person on Instagram suggested that water should be provided for free in such weather, joining others in calling for a re-evaluation of the venue's policy regarding water bottles.
The Independent has reached out to representatives for the stadium and organizers T4F for comment.
In the aftermath of Benevides’s death, Swift expressed being "overwhelmed by grief" in an emotional statement on her Instagram Story.
She wrote: “I can’t believe that I’m writing these words, but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show.
“There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.
“I’m not going to be able to speak about the from the stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.
“I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends.”
Swift is scheduled to return to the Nilton Santos stadium on Saturday (18 November) and Sunday (19 November) for two more shows of her Eras Tour.
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