© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Taylor Swift attends the premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
By Marcela Ayres and Pilar Olivares
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – American singer Taylor Swift postponed her show in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday due to scorching heat, a day after the death of a fan who fell ill in the sweltering concert hall.
“The decision was made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio,” Swift wrote on Instagram about two hours before taking the stage. “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow artists and team has to come, and always will, come first.”
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, felt unwell at the Nilton Santos stadium during Friday’s show, event organizer T4F wrote on Instagram. She later died in the hospital. The cause of her death is not yet known and will be investigated, Rio’s state health service said.
Rio hit a record heat index, which combines temperature and humidity, of 59.3 degrees Celsius (138.7 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday. On Saturday, the heat index peaked at 59.7 degrees Celsius (139.5).
About 60,000 fans gathered Friday for Swift’s first sold-out concert at the open-air stadium, located in a hotter northern neighborhood, far from Rio’s windy beaches.
Swift was also scheduled to perform in Rio on Sunday, followed by three shows in São Paulo from Nov. 24-26. T4F said Saturday’s show was postponed to Monday.
Swift fans outside the stadium on Saturday suffered in the heat as they waited to access the show. When news of the program’s postponement spread, many young women burst into tears.
During Friday’s concert, several fans became ill, prompting Swift to cut short her performance and request that the production team provide them with water, the videos show.
Swift wrote on Instagram that she was “heartbroken” and “devastated” by the death of Benevides, who was “incredibly beautiful and too young.”
National Consumer Secretary Wadih Damous published in X that the government had ordered T4F to guarantee access to water at all Swift concerts in Brazil. T4F said public bodies prohibited entry with water bottles and that it was not involved in the sale of food and drinks inside the stadium.
Following Benevides’ death, Justice Minister Flavio Dino announced that the government would issue a directive allowing water bottles to be brought to concerts.
“Companies that produce shows with high heat exposure must provide free drinking water in easily accessible ‘hydration islands’. The measure takes effect immediately,” he added on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Heat exhaustion, which can include dizziness, headaches, shaking, and thirst, is usually not serious as long as the person cools down within 30 minutes.
The most severe version is heat stroke, when the body’s core temperature exceeds 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6 degrees Celsius). It is a medical emergency and can lead to long-term organ damage and death.
