Tearful Taylor Swift RETURNS to stage in Brazil after fan, 23, died in extreme heat: Singer looks emotional as fans sing ‘We love you’ after star cancels show due to tragedy
The tearful Taylor Swift returned to the stage in Rio de Janeiro for the first time on Sunday after the tragic death of a 23-year-old fan, who succumbed to the extreme heat on Friday.
Just one day after having to postpone her show due to sweltering temperatures, the 33-year-old pop star expressed her gratitude to all her attendees for braving the record-breaking heat and rain to support her.
‘How lucky are you to have 65,000 people dancing with you in the pouring rain?’ she asked the crowd. “I’ve never had the opportunity to tour Brazil before and you guys have been so supportive of me since the beginning of my career.”
Swift continued, “I love you so much and I’m so happy to see your faces tonight, you have no idea.” Later, during the singer’s set, the crowd erupted after “Champagne Problems” as Swift burst into tears and mouthed “I love you,” according to footage on social media.
Emotional: Tearful Taylor Swift returned to the Rio de Janeiro stage for the first time on Sunday after the tragic death of a 23-year-old fan, who succumbed to extreme heat on Friday
Brave face: Just one day after having to postpone her show due to sweltering temperatures, the pop star, 33, expressed her gratitude to all her attendees for braving the record-breaking heat and rain to support her
Devastating: On Friday, Ana Clara Benevides, 23, fainted in the front row and was given CPR by doctors on the scene, but failed to revive her
After performing her hit Champagne Problems on the piano, she looked emotional as she broke down in tears as the audience erupted in applause.
In response to the tears, she said “I love you” to the concertgoers.
Her second show comes as Brazil experiences an unprecedented heatwave and fans were reportedly not allowed to bring water to the highly anticipated concert despite sweltering temperatures.
On Friday, Ana Clara Benevides, 23, fainted in the front row and was given CPR by doctors on the scene, but failed to revive her.
She was transported to a hospital, where she suffered a second cardiac arrest and died.
Footage from the concert shows Swift begging stadium staff to give her fans water. At one point during the show, the singer stopped the performance and threw a water bottle into the audience.
Benevides was taken to Salgado Filho Municipal Hospital but died shortly afterwards.
In the aftermath, fans claimed they were banned from bringing water into the venue, but this has not been verified.
‘How lucky are you to have 65,000 people dancing with you in the pouring rain?’ she asked the crowd. ‘I have never been able to tour Brazil before and you have been so supportive of me since the start of my career’ (seen on Friday)
Scary situation: Footage from the concert on Friday shows Swift begging stadium staff to give her fans water
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it is with her broken heart that I say that earlier tonight, before my show, we lost a fan. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this,” she posted after learning of Benevides’ passing
In a handwritten note on Instagram, Swift spoke of her shock and announced that she would be canceling her performance on Saturday night, explaining that the risks were too great for the show to go ahead.
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it is with her broken heart that I say that earlier tonight, before my show, we lost a fan. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this,” she wrote.
“I’m not going to be able to talk about this from the stage because I feel overwhelmed with sadness 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 the show to Brazil.”
A terrifying clip shared on TikTok appeared to show Swift struggling to breathe as temperatures in the arena rose to more than 37 degrees Celsius. In the 11-second clip, Swift is seen hurriedly taking seven breaths before launching into another hit song.
“There were people crying, people throwing tantrums, hoping it was all a lie, in short it was terrible,” said student Victor Guimaraes, who was waiting in line again on Sunday to watch the singer’s performance .
