Over the weekend, the death of 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado, broke the news. Clara fell sick during a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
This Swift performance took place during a heat wave that caused record high temperatures in the Brazilian city, which, per the heat index, made it feel like nearly 140 degrees Fahrenheit that day. City officials report that Clara went into cardiac arrest after falling unconscious. Since the incident, a lot of accusations have been tossed around in the direction of Swift and the event’s organizers, the stadium allowed no water.
Swift stated that she had “very little information” but described the fan as “incredibly beautiful and far too young.” She ended her message by saying that she won’t be talking about the tragedy onstage. Friday’s show was supposed to be the first of three sold-out concerts Swift would perform over three days in Rio before moving on to São Paulo, but she “feels this loss deeply,” and was sending love to the fan’s family and friends, stating: “This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”
Swift performed for over 60,000 people in that ridiculous heat. Local news said that the city’s fire department is claiming that at least 1,000 audience members fainted during the show.
A concertgoer said that so many fans had gotten sick before the show even started that he was able to move up to the railing by the stage when the performance began, claiming that “there was little staff” and even they “were a little lost” as to what to do.