Taylor Swift Breaks Her Silence After Tragic Incident Before Her Concert In Brazil

    "Concerts are meant to be a safe space. Never a space where you should lose your life."

    Chelsea Stewart
    by Chelsea Stewart

    BuzzFeed Staff

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    Taylor Swift says she's "devastated" after a fan who was supposed to see her perform in Rio de Janeiro yesterday died shortly before the show.

    A closeup of taylor in a gold-coin embellished outfit
    Amy Sussman / Getty Images

    The fan was 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado, according to a tweet posted by event co-organizer Time for Fun. She had reportedly been treated by paramedics on-site after falling ill at the stadium and later died at a local hospital.

    Roy Rochlin / FilmMagic

    While Ana's cause of death is uncertain, Rio and many other parts of Brazil experienced a dangerous heat wave this week. Brazilian media outlets reported that fans had to wait in lines before the show and were not allowed to bring water bottles inside per venue rules.

    taylor singing on stage
    Fernando Leon / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

    A friend who attended the show with Ana told the online news site G1 that Ana fainted during Taylor's performance of "Cruel Summer," which was only the second song of the night.

    Steven Ferdman / Getty Images
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    “We always said that when (Taylor Swift) came to Brazil, we would find a way to go. The ticket was very expensive, but we still found a way," she told the outlet.

    Taylor reacted to the news of Ana's death on her Instagram Story, writing: "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."

    Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

    "There's very little information I have other than the fact that she was incredibly beautiful and far too young," she continued.

    closeup of taylor
    Cbs Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images

    "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," she went on. "I want to say now that 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."

    Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

    Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes also posted a tweet saying he had ordered the municipality "to demand action with the production of the show" for Taylor's remaining stops in Rio, including faster entrance to the concert and new water distribution points, among other things.

    taylor with her dancers on stage
    Buda Mendes / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

    Taylor even took it upon herself to hand out water to fans in the crowd. "There's people that need water, right here," she said in a fan video, pointing toward a section of the audience. "Whoever is in charge of giving them that, please come and make sure that that happens."

    mother is really mothering tonight pic.twitter.com/QwcFmM234y

    — sophie⸆⸉ eras tour sydney n2 & n3 (@ssophiesversion) November 18, 2023
    Twitter: @ssophiesversion

    "Sorry, it's just it's very hot, so if somebody says they need water when it's this hot, they really need it," she added in another fan video.

    Taylor Swift helps fans chant “Water” in order to get security & staff to bring water to fans.#RioTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/YuYqRIoWs1

    — Billi Pop (@Billi_Pop) November 18, 2023
    Twitter: @Billi_Pop

    You can see her post and other fan tributes below:

    Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/taylorswift/?hl=en

    I felt like I wanted to cry while reading her words She is very pure I know. I can only imagine her feeling when she found out and I imagine the feeling of the girl’s family and friends Rip Ana #RioTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/wz7Kqw1AfP

    — Loly ¹⁹⁸⁹ ͭ ͮ (@midnera) November 18, 2023
    Twitter: @midnera

    Concerts are meant to be a safe space. Never a space where you should lose your life. It’s heartbreaking to see this happen when it could’ve been prevented. Ana deserved to go to the show, enjoy herself, and go home safely. This is unbelievable.
    Rip Ana 🕊️✨🤍

    — ˢᵗᵉᵖʰᵃⁿⁱᵉ (@heyitsstepf) November 18, 2023
    Twitter: @heyitsstepf

    We are heartbroken about what happened at last night's show and the life that was sadly lost. The ban on water is simply an inhumane decision due to how important it is for human beings and especially in those conditions.

    RIP Ana Benevides 🙏🏻💝

    T4F EXIGIMOS RESPEITO

    — Sabrina Carpenter All-News 💌 (@SCANews_) November 18, 2023
    Twitter: @SCANews_
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