Last night, news broke that 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado died right before the Eras Tour show in Rio de Janeiro. While there are very few details about the fans' death, as Taylor Swift noted in her statement about the situation, the concert did happen during a heat wave, which impacted many people at the show. And along with this tragic news, the pop star was also seen trying to help fans during her concert as they struggled with the extreme heat.
The 23-year-old fan died at the concert venue, according to the concert's Brazilian organizers (via USA Today). After the concert ended, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to address and mourn the tragedy.
Taylor Swift Released A Statement About The Fan Who Died Before The Eras Tour Show In Rio
Following the news that Ana Clara Benevides Machado had died before the Eras Tour show on Friday, Taylor Swift took to her Instagram Story to share a statement about her passing. She mourned the fan, explained that she was "overwhelmed by grief," and wrote this heartfelt message:
Ana Clara Benevides Machado’s cause of death is unknown at the moment. However, per USA Today, local reports from Brazil reported that she “suffered cardiac arrest.” It’s also been noted that this happened during a heat wave. Today, Saturday, November 18, the high is expected to be 99F, per The Weather Channel. The AP also reported that Rio is facing a historic heatwave, as the heat index, which is a mix of humidity and temperature, hit 137F on Tuesday.
Along with this news about the heat and Swift’s response to a fan dying before her show, videos of the singer trying to help fans during the concert have also gone viral.
Taylor Swift Helped Fans Get Water While She Was Performing Amid Heat Wave
The weather caused serious issues during the concert, and Taylor Swift was seen multiple times trying to help fans who had been impacted by the heat. At one point, she stopped the show to make sure those who needed water got it. In the video below, you can see her identifying people in the crowd who were asking for water, and asking for someone to confirm that the Swifties would get it.
@mobertha ♬ original sound - Monica Bertha
This is not the first time Taylor Swift has addressed her audience’s safety during a show. Earlier this spring, she defended a fan while she sang “Bad Blood,” because a security guard was being rude to them. She also told the crowd last week in Argentina not to throw things on stage. If safety is something that needs to be addressed at her concerts, she will do it.
Then, later in the show, as Swift was singing the ten-minute version of "All Too Well," she got a bottle of water and threw it into the crowd for a fan.
pic.twitter.com/MsbXxTWEEQNovember 18, 2023
While normally videos of Swift’s surprise songs, her stage dive and small changes made for different concerts go viral, the clips that ran around the internet from last night’s show were of the pop star working to help her audience as they all dealt with the extreme heat. Based on these two videos and her statement, Swift was clearly concerned about the audience's safety and well-being, and she was doing what she could to help them.
These videos, along with the news of Ana Clara Benevides Machado’s death, have caused many to question the safety of the concert, especially when it came to fans’ access to water. Following the show, Rio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes took to X to explain that this fan’s death is “unacceptable,” and at the next two shows, there needs to be more water readily available. In the translated tweet, he wrote that he had “already ordered the municipality’s Executive Chief of Operations to demand action with the production of the show.” He also bullet-pointed measures that would be taken for Saturday and Sunday’s concerts, writing:
- anticipate entry by 1 hour and occupy the circulation ring to keep the public out of the sun
- new water distribution points;
- increase in the number of brigade members
- increase in ambulances
As more news develops about the tragic death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, how the venue along with Swift and her team handle the hot weather for her next two shows, and the “Lavender Haze” singer’s upcoming events, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
