A fan attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour show Friday night (November 17) in Brazil died after falling ill prior to the start of the show, according to media reports.
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Ana Clara Benavides, 23, fainted before the show had begun and subsequently died of cardiorespiratory arrest, said a BBC News translation of a report from the Brazilian newspaper Fohla De Sao Paolo about the tragedy.
Swift, who performed the first of three shows Friday at Estádio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro, posted a heartfelt message about the fan’s death on her Instagram page. “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,” the post began. “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.”
Then, she explained why she wouldn’t speak about the fan’s passing during her concert. “I am not going to be able to speak about this from [the] stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it,” Swift wrote. “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.”
[RELATED: Taylor Swift Eras Tour: How to Get Tickets and Upcoming Dates]
During the show, Swift urged stadium staff to give fans water. Additionally, while singing “All Too Well,” she tossed water bottles into the crowd, according to reports.
Swift will return to Estádio Nilton Santos tonight (November 18) and tomorrow (November 19). Then, she’ll play three shows at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil, next Friday (November 24).
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
