Taylor Swift on Saturday postponed the second night of her Eras Tour in Brazil citing the scorching heat that has stifled most of the South American country in the past few days.
Swift’s decision — which was announced approximately two hours before her show was scheduled to begin — came less than 24 hours after the death of a 23-year-old fan, who fell ill during Swift’s second song Friday night and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died.
“I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio,” the multi-award-winning artist said in a handwritten note posted on her Instagram stories. “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
In the wee hours of Saturday morning, Swift took to social media to say it was with a “shattered heart” that she announced she had “lost a fan earlier tonight,” adding that she felt “overwhelmed by grief.”
The death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado was confirmed by Time4Fun, or T4F, the São Paulo-based entertainment promoter that brought the artist’s Eras Tour to Brazil.
While the fan’s official cause of death has not been released, but the city’s secretary of health said the young Swiftie arrived at the hospital just before 9 p.m., suffering from cardiac arrest.
Later on Saturday, T4F announced Saturday’s show had been rescheduled to Monday, Nov. 20, “due to adverse weather conditions today and to prioritize public safety.”
Swift is scheduled to play in Rio again on Sunday. She then heads to São Paulo for three more shows next weekend.
Rio de Janeiro is currently experiencing record-breaking high temperatures, five weeks before the official start of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
On Thursday, a day before Swift’s first show, Rio’s heat index hit 139 degrees, the highest number ever recorded in the city. The previous record, 138 degrees, was registered earlier this week.
Despite the oppressive heat, fans said water bottles weren’t allowed inside the stadium, according to several local outlets.
Minister of Justice Flávio Dino said in a statement Saturday that, going forward, water bottles for personal use would be allowed at concerts. In addition, producers of shows “with high-heat exposure must provide free drinking water in easily accessible ‘hydration islands.’”
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