Unsettling footage being shared widely on social media shows Taylor Swift struggling to regain her breath while performing in Rio. Photo / X
Unsettling footage being shared widely on social media shows Taylor Swift struggling to regain her breath while performing in Rio. Photo / X
Unsettling footage of Taylor Swift gasping for air on stage in Brazil has gone viral mere days after searing temperatures were blamed for the heart attack death of one of her young fans.
The Bad Blood singer, 33, said she was left “overwhelmed” with grief over the shock passing of Ana Clara Benevides, 23, who is said to have fainted ahead of her death last week while she was in the front row of the Estádio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro in temperatures of 60C to see Swift perform.
Now, fan footage of Swift from the concert has emerged showing the terrifying impacts of the severe heat.
In the 13-second clip, the singer can be seen struggling to catch her breath after an energetic performance of her hit Bejeweled. It quickly sparked a flood of replies from worried fans, saying the singer was obviously in distress, with others warning her crowds to stay safe attending her gigs in soaring temperatures.
It was posted after Swift axed her second Eras Tour concert in Brazil in the wake of Benevides’ death. The young woman is believed to have fainted prior to her death on Friday.
Swift said in her announcement on Saturday about cancelling her second scheduled gig at the stadium that night: “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 safety and wellbeing of my fans, fellow performers and crew always has to come first.”
It’s unclear when the concert will take place as no more information was given.
Hours earlier, Swift used another Instagram Story to tell fans she was “overwhelmed” by grief over Benevides’ death.
Unsettling footage being shared widely on social media shows Taylor Swift struggling to regain her breath while performing in Rio. Photo / X
The singer said about the tragedy in a letter posted to her Instagram Stories: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a 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.”
Swift added she has “very little information” about the fan’s death “other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young”.
She said: “I’m not going to be able to speak about this from stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.
“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.”
Benevides detailed the moments leading up to her death on social media, and showed how she waited hours to get into Estádio Nilton Santos.
One video showed the temperature was 35C – about 95F – outside the stadium.
Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo said the young woman fainted while she was in the front row.
