Taylor Swift seen throwing water bottle to thirsty fan in audience at Rio de Janeiro concert after thanking Brazil for warm welcome… before learning young fan tragically died attending the Eras Tour show
Taylor Swift kicked off her run of shows at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday night and was captured tossing a water bottle out to an adoring fan in the audience amid the sweltering heat.
During her performance of All Too Well, Taylor grabbed the bottle from a helpful stagehand, sauntered over to the center of the stage and launched it into the crowd.
The viral fan video of the incident was captioned, ‘Taylor throwing a water bottle to a fan who needs help while singing All Too Well #RioTSTheErasTour.’
Hours later, it was revealed a concertgoer by the name of Ana Benevides, 23, had died at the show after fainting due to the brutal heat in the stadium that reached temperatures of over 100 Fahrenheit, according to local sources.
Swift was completely unaware of the tragedy as she performed and has since issued a statement expressing her devastation over Benevides’ death as well as her condolences to the young girl’s family.
Taylor Swift kicked off her run of shows at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday night and was captured tossing a water bottle out to an adoring fan in the audience amid the sweltering heat
Keep ’em hydrated: During her performance of All Too Well, Taylor grabbed the bottle from a helpful stagehand, sauntered over to the center of the stage and — using her football throwing arm — launched it into the crowd
Benevides is believed to have had a cardiac arrest according to her cousin, Estela Benevides, and as reported by Brazilian media.
Doctors at the scene attempted to revive the young fan but were unable to do .
She was taken Salgado Filho Municipal Hospital but died soon afterwards
‘I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it is with her 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 by this,’ Swift wrote in her Instagram statement after the show.
‘There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far two young,’ she continued.
‘I’m not going to be able to speak about this from the 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 the show to Brazil.’
During the concert, the hitmaker thanked her Brazilian fans and the city for their warm welcome of lighting up the landmark Christ the Redeemer statue in her honor.
A projection on the monument read ‘Welcome to Brazil’ and featured a T-shirt design based on the ‘Junior Jewels shirt worn by Taylor in her ‘You Belong With Me’ music video.
‘I just want to start off by saying that I feel completely unworthy of this honor but it is sort of the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me,’ Taylor said to the cheering crowd.
The illumination was funded by the Christ the Redeemer Sanctuary and was the result of a fan campaign and charity drive.
‘And I say that because I heard that part of why this was able to happen is because so many of you donated food and water and that makes me so incredibly proud,’ Taylor continued.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ she added. ‘Thank you so much for everything that you do, including showing up tonight and being so nice to us!’
Swift is set to perform to tens of thousands of fans over three shows in Rio for the first time this week, with three more scheduled for the following weekend in Sao Paulo.
She has three shows this weekend at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro before heading to Sao Paolo.
Latin American fans have been making the most of comparatively cheap tickets to see the ‘Shake it Off’ singer live.
Hours later, it was revealed a concertgoer by the name of Ana Benevides, 23, had died at the show after fainting due to the brutal heat in the stadium that reached temperatures of around 100 Fahrenheit
Swift was unaware of the tragedy during her performance and has since issued a statement expressing her devastation over Benevides’ death and expressed her condolences to the young girl’s family
Benevides (pictured) is believed to have had a cardiac arrest according to her cousin, Estela Benevides, and as reported by Brazilian media
Fan in audience on Friday
While tickets in the US spiraled to more than $1,600 on some resale sites, Vivid Seats was offering tickets to concerts in Brazil for just $91.
Taylor took to her Instagram on Monday, writing: ‘Starting off the South American leg of The Eras Tour in Argentina = best decision possible.’
‘I can’t even express my gratitude to the Buenos Aires crowds. I’d never been to Argentina before and they gave us the most electric, magical memories.’
The use of ‘electric’ caught the eye of her diligent fanbase, who believe it was a reference to her beau Travis – whose mom Donna was spotted watching Swift’s film, The Eras Tour, at movie theatre in Florida on Sunday.
Kelce, who was at her Saturday night show, often uses the word ‘electric’ to describe a good time – most recently when talking about his appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside Swift.
During the concert, the hitmaker thanked her Brazilian fans and the city for their warm welcome of lighting up the landmark Christ the Redeemer statue in her honor
Warm welcome: A projection on the monument read ‘Welcome to Brazil’ and featured a T-shirt design based on the ‘Junior Jewels shirt worn by Taylor in her ‘You Belong With Me’ music video
More love: ‘I’m so proud of you,’ she added. ‘Thank you so much for everything that you do, including showing up tonight and being so nice to us!’
Ahead of the game: Taylor took to her Instagram on Monday, writing: ‘Starting off the South American leg of The Eras Tour in Argentina = best decision possible’
Fresh arrival: Swift arrives in Brazil fresh from her shows in Argentina, where she was supported by her new beau Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce
‘I don’t even remember what I said, I blacked out,’ Kelce said on his New Heights podcast. ‘It was electric to be back at that place. There is just something about being back in that room and being their first episode of the season.’
And when Travis was talking about Taylor’s first appearance at Arrowhead Stadium to see him play for the Chiefs, he said: ‘I just thought it was awesome that everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her.
‘She looked amazing and on top of that, the day went perfect for Chiefs fans. It was absolutely electric.’
Swift arrives in Brazil fresh from her shows in Argentina, where she was supported by her new beau Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis.
The two have caused a social media storm since going public with their relationship, spurred on by recent footage of Swift running up to plant a kiss on the athlete after finishing up her Saturday show in Buenos Aires.
Concert schedule: It is understood Taylor will be flying back to the US for Thanksgiving, before returning to Brazil for the Sao Paolo shows on November 24
Headed off to Asia: From Sao Paolo she will head to Tokyo and Singapore before commencing the European leg to the Eras Tour
Boyfriend surprise: Fans didn’t know if Taylor’s boyfriend Travis Kelce would be at the show as he has a football game on Monday
Epic sets: Taylor pulled out all the stops for the concert as her sets were Hollywood production quality
Ethereal: Taylor looked like a goddess in her green gown
Dancing delight: Taylor put on a fabulous show as she kicked it up a notch with her choreography
The clip went even more viral thanks to Swift’s decision to change the lyrics to her hit ‘Karma’ to include a reference to her new lover.
Surrounded by her backup dancers on stage at the Estadio River Plate stadium, Taylor belted out ‘Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me’ to replace the original lyric, ‘Karma is the guy on the screen coming straight home to me’.
A viral video captured the adorable moment Travis heard the epic improvisation, as it showed the superstar athlete smacking his hands to the side of face in utter astonishment, before he broke out a few smooth dance moves.
The lyric change wasn’t the only moment Taylor had Travis on her mind, as she also sang to him directly and mouthed the lyrics ‘that’s my man’ during her performance of ‘Willow’.
The two have finally gone public with their relationship two months after rumors began to swirl when the 13-time Grammy winner was spotted cheering on Kelce at his game at the Arrowhead Stadium.
They went public with their romance during his September 24th football game, and have been spotted on numerous outings since.
Last month, DailyMail.com learned that Swift has been blown away by the way the sports star has ‘courted her’ like a ‘gentleman’.
An insider close to Taylor’s celebrity pal Lively revealed that while the songstress was ‘trying to keep it together,’ it was obvious to those around her that she was already ‘falling’ hard for her new beau.
Opening act: Sabrina Carpenter opened up for Taylor’s Brazil concert run
Sparkling star: Sabrina sang her latest hit ‘Cupid’ while rocking a sparkling ensemble
‘Taylor is blown away right now and her family is all about Travis. She is trying to keep it together, but is obviously falling in love with him and he feels the same way,’ they dished.
‘He courted her and it was not her typical, ‘Hey, you’re hot, let’s go out,’ sorta thing. He actually courted her and she feels like she is the luckiest gal in the world right now.
‘It is no coincidence that all she had to do was look outside of Hollywood.’
It is understood Taylor will be flying back to the US for Thanksgiving, before returning to Brazil for the Sao Paolo shows on November 24.
From Sao Paolo she will head to Tokyo and Singapore before commencing the European leg to the Eras Tour.
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