Taylor Swift fan dies at the Eras Rio tour amid heat wave. Mayor calls for water for next shows
Taylor Swift is speaking out, saying she is devastated after learning that a woman died at her Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro Friday night during an excessive heat warning.
A 23-year-old died at the show, according to the show's Brazilian organizers.
"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," Swift posted in an Instagram message several hours after the show. "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. 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 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 cause of death for Ana Clara Benevides Machado has not been announced, however local media reports from Brazil said she suffered cardiac arrest. The city’s mayor has demanded changes before Swift’s final two shows on Saturday and Sunday.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes said the “loss of a young woman’s life ... is unacceptable," in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He said that he has ordered that the show producers add water distribution points, open access to the show earlier to provide access to shade and add ambulances.
There is an excessive heat wave warning in Rio. On Tuesday, the heat index — both temperature and humidity — hit 137 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday, the highest index ever recorded there. Today the temperature is set to hit 102 and feel like 113, according to Accuweather.
At one point during Friday night's show in Rio, Swift paused to make sure fans were getting water.
"There's people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back," she said during the Evermore set, pointing to a floor section of the crowd. "So whoever is in charge of giving them that, just make sure that happens. Can I get a signal that you know where they are?"
During her 10-minute version of "All Too Well" she threw a bottle of water to a fan while singing.
Swift pauses Rio show to help fans 'There's people that need water,' she said, tossing bottles to the crowd.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Taylor Swift fan dies at Eras Tour during Rio's severe heat wave
