Taylor Swift left 'devastated' by death of fan as she postpones Rio concert
Taylor Swift was "devastated" by the death of a fan on Friday and subsequently postponed a concert in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, died shortly before Taylor's show at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Brazil on Friday evening. She is believed to have sought help after feeling unwell amid high temperatures at the venue and was taken to hospital but died an hour later.
"I can't even tell you how devastated I am by this," Taylor wrote on her Instagram Stories. "There's very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young."
She added: "I want to say now 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 this tour to Brazil."
According to local reports, Ana arrived at Salgado Filho Hospital in cardiorespiratory arrest.
In another social media post, Taylor confirmed Saturday's concert would not go ahead following an unprecedented heatwave in the country.
"The decision has been made to postpone tonight's show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio," Taylor wrote on Instagram on Saturday. "The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew has to and always will come first."
Concertgoers complained of sweltering conditions at Friday's show, which was the latest date in Taylor's The Eras Tour.
The crowd was heard chanting for water amid reports people were banned from taking their own water bottles into the venue.
Footage from the concert showed Taylor throwing a water bottle into the crowd, and in another clip, she appeared to be gasping for breath in the sweltering heat.