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Taylor Swift said she was "devastated" to learn that a fan died before her concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Friday.
The fan, named by the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo as Ana Clara Benevides, was in the crowd at Swift's Eras Tour performance when she reportedly fainted amid a heatwave that has swept across the country. Benevides later died of a cardiac arrest.
Swift addressed the incident on Instagram before taking to the stage for the first of three concerts she is scheduled to play at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro.
"I can't believe I'm writing these words but it is with shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show," she wrote. "I can't even tell you how devastated I am by this."
"There's very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young."
Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)/Instagram
Swift said she would not be speaking about the death on 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," she continued.
Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Benevides was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Salgado Filho Municipal Hospital, Folha de S.Paulo reported.
Attempts were made to resuscitate Benevides for around 40 minutes at the stadium, but the young woman went into cardiac arrest for a second time while she was being taken to a hospital, per the report.
The newspaper said it had confirmed the news with Benevides' cousin, who had spoken to the doctor who tried to resuscitate her.
Local firefighters said around 1,000 fans fainted at the event, while others vomited and suffered from severe dehydration as a result of the soaring heat. Fans at the event could even be heard chanting "water, water, water."
Brazil is in the midst of a dangerous heatwave, with the heat index — which is what the temperature feels like to the human body — in Rio de Janeiro skyrocketing to 58.5 degrees Celsius, which is around 137 degrees Fahrenheit, on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.
A street vendor told AFP news agency that the heat was "unbearable" for people working outside.
Representatives for the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment, which was sent outside of regular working hours.
