Taylor Swift fan: death at Eras Tour Brazil concert explained after 100 Fahrenheit temperatures - Instagram

Taylor Swift has expressed her sadness after a fan passed away ahead of her Rio de Janeiro concert on Friday night (17 November).

In an Instagram post preceding the first show of her three-night run in Brazil for her Eras world tour, the singer said she was “overwhelmed by grief”, and discussing the incident during her performance that evening was something she wouldn't be doing.

In her heartfelt message, Swift said: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with 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.

“There’s very little information I have, other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”

Swift extended her condolences to the fan's family and friends, and said the loss was the last thing she expected when bringing her tour to Brazil.

Reports have named the fan as Ana Clara Benevides, 23, who reportedly fainted at the show and experienced a cardiac arrest. Attendees at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos voiced concerns about the intense heat during the concert.

Swift halted her performance to ensure water was distributed among fans, even tossing a bottle to the crowd while performing, after they had been heard chanting for "water, water, water, water."

Earlier in the week the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro was illuminated with a special greeting for Taylor Swift as she arrived Brazil.

Thursday (16 November) night saw the 125ft Christ the Redeemer lit up with a grand message extending a warm welcome to Swift as she embarked on the next phase of her Eras Tour in the country.

The show of hospitality was thanks to a charitable act by her fans and orchestrated by the Christ the Redeemer Archdiocesan Sanctuary, which manages the famous statue.

On social media, Swifties asked Rio mayor Eduardo Paes to project onto the statue a likeness of the Junior Jewels shirt from Swift’s 'You Belong With Me' music video. Their plea went viral.

Paes, who once called the singer the “Madonna of our times”, said he would take the matter to the Rev Omar Raposo, the rector of the sanctuary. “Okay, I did my part!” said Paes on X, formerly Twitter.

“From today onwards, I ask all fan clubs to direct their requests about the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer to our beloved Archdiocese. Friend Father Omar, the ball is in your court!”

In exchange for the projection, the priest, who runs the popular Catholic site, challenged Swifties to raise money to buy food and drinks for the upcoming Catholic Church’s World Day of the Poor, which will be marked on Sunday (19 November).

In one day of crowdfunding, fans raised about 180,000 reais (£29,500), which covered the cost of 20,000 loaves of panettones, a traditional sweet yeast bread, and bottled water for Rio’s homeless, a statement from the sanctuary said.

With the fundraising goal met, the statue was lit on Thursday night, and a small team from the sanctuary and a few Swifties started distributing the food and drink to those in need that evening.

“We did it Swifties!” said a post on the Christ the Redeemer official Instagram account, which showed an aerial 360-degree video of the statue while Swift’s song 'You Belong With Me' played. “You were able to show all your love for Taylor and for your neighbour.”

“Young people like challenges. So we directed the energy of fans to do good,” said Raposo, who is also pastor of Rio’s Sao Jose da Lagoa parish. “This can and will be replicated. It’s a mobilisation for solidarity, Christ the Redeemer descending the Corcovado mountain to impact society.”

The statue, viewed as a global symbol of Christianity, was inaugurated nearly 100 years ago, and a priest came up with the idea for it even earlier, according to the monument’s official site.

Today, the Christ statue with its arms wide open welcomes millions of selfie-snapping tourists each year. In 2017, it was elected as one of the new seven Wonders of the World.

But Rio is far from the only place to give Swift a special welcome for her Eras Tour. Cities across the United States paid homage to Swift – from declaring her the honorary mayor of the day to renaming stadiums.

Currently on her international leg of the tour, thousands of fans also recently gathered for the superstar’s first-ever concert in Argentina, which took a political turn ahead of the country’s presidential elections.

Swift will play six Eras shows in Brazil. The first three were at Rio’s Estadio Nilton Santos beginning last night (17 November). Next week, she will perform in Sao Paulo at three shows at Allianz Parque stadium.