Taylor Swift has paid an emotional tribute to a fan who tragically died at her concert
Taylor Swift announced the tragic news on Friday that a fan, named as Ana Clara Benevides Machado, had died after collapsing at her Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro.
The 23-year-old is reported to have passed out during Taylor's performance of 'Cruel Summer'. She was treated by paramedics at the scene, before being taken to hospital where she tragically died.
“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," Taylor wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram story after the concert. "I can't 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.”
Her statement continued: “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 that 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."
The concert on Saturday was postponed do the "extreme temperatures" in Rio, with the severe heatwave thought to be linked to Ana Clara Benevides Machado's cause of death.
“I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium,” read Taylor's statement on Saturday, announcing the show's cancellation. “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 has to and always will come first.”
The Eras Tour returned to Brazil on Sunday, and while Taylor did not officially mention Ana Clara Benevides Machado, it is thought that she did pay tribute, adding a surprise song to the setlist - 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky'.
The emotional song about grief features the lyrics "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye", "You were bigger than the whole sky" and "You were more than just a short time", with Taylor seen to be holding back tears during her performance.
Our thoughts are with the loved ones of Ana Clara Benevides Machado.
We will continue to update this story.
