Taylor Swift cancels second show in Brazil after fan dies, many faint from heat
Los Angeles, November 19
Singer Taylor Swift called off her second ‘Eras Tour’ concert in Brazil in the wake of a fan’s death amid sweltering temperatures in the country.
The singer’s decision to scrap the show on November 18 came hours after she opened up about her heartbreak over the passing of Ana Clara Benevides, 23, who is said to have fainted ahead of her heart attack death on Friday, November 17 while she was in the front row of the Estadio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro in temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius to see Swift perform.
“I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew always has to come first,” Taylor said in her announcement she was cancelling her gig, reports aceshowbiz.com.
It’s unclear when the concert will take place as no more information was given. Hours earlier, Taylor used another Instagram Story to tell fans she was “overwhelmed” by grief over Ana’s shock death.
She said about the tragedy in a letter posted to her Instagram Stories: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered 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.”
Swift added she has “very little information” about the fan’s death “other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”
She said: “I’m not going to be able to speak about this from 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. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”
Ana detailed the moments leading up to her death on social media, and showed how she waited hours to get into Estadio Nilton Santos. One video showed the temperature was 35C – about 95F – outside the stadium.
Swift halted her show several times to ask for water on behalf of her fans, who were chanting for refreshments at one point.
