TAYLOR’S TEARS
Moment tearful Taylor Swift ‘pays emotional tribute to fan’ who died at show as she returns to stage after tragedy
It comes as two young fans died during the chaotic Eras Tour concerts in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend
THIS was the moment a tearful Taylor Swift paid an emotional tribute to a young fan who died at her Rio de Janeiro show.
It was the pop icon's first time back on stage since postponing her Saturday concert due to extreme temperatures that saw one death and 1,000 recorded fainting spells.
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Appearing to be paying her respects to Ana Clara Benevides, 23, the 12-time Grammy winner sang her heart-wrenching track Bigger Than the Whole Sky.
Surprising fans with the show's second surprise song on Sunday, the track talks about unimaginable grief and heartache.
Visibly choked up while playing the piano, Taylor sang: "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye / You were bigger than the whole sky / You were more than just a short time
"I'm never gonna meet / What could've been, would've been / What should've been you / What could've been, would've been you."
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Tens of thousands of Swifties joined their idol, singing while holding their phone flashlights on: "No words appear before me in the aftermath/ Salt streams out my eyes and into my ears/ Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness."
Her fans later gave her a long ovation, chanting "Taylor, I love you" as the singer was taken over by tears.
Emotional Swifties replied to the heartbreaking video on social media, with one writing: "Ana will always be very loved by us and by Taylor.
"This tribute was the most beautiful thing Tay could do today."
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Another commented: "I got goosebumps with this performance, it was so beautiful."
"Rest in peace Gabriel and Ana. You will always be remembered. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye," a third replied.
It comes after student Ana Clara Benevides, 23, went into cardiac arrest in sweltering heat at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro last Friday.
Swift, 33, briefly paused the Eras show so drinks could be handed out to fans chanting “water, water”.
She even threw a bottle to the crowd.
A fan video from the Rio de Janeiro concert on Friday night also showed Taylor seemingly struggling to breathe after performing her hit "Bejeweled".
Ana Clara's dad now wants the show's organisers punished if they were guilty of negligence.
Weiny Machado, 53, from Mato Grosso do Sul, said: “I’ve lost my only daughter — a happy and intelligent girl. I’ve no words.”
He told a newspaper it was “absurd” that Swift had to give fans water.
Ana Clara’s cousin Estela Benevides, who said the Taylor Swift fan had travelled by plane for the first time in her life to attend Friday’s concert, added: “Our family is in shock. It’s incredible.
“She left a lasting impression on the lives of the people she knew.”
The dead woman’s family spoke as regional prosecutors announced an investigation focusing on the organisation of the show by T4F, a shortened version of Brazilian entertainment company Time For Fun which has been described as one of the largest of its kind in the world.
It was ordered to make changes for the second Taylor Swift concert last night, including the provision of new water distribution points, before the US artist postponed the show because of the ongoing heatwave in Rio.
Prosecutors announced a criminal investigation.
In the early hours of Sunday, a second Taylor Swift fan died after being stabbed to death.
Gabriel Mongenot Santana Milhomem Santos, 25, was killed in an attempted robbery on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Three suspects have been detained over the alleged murder.
Gabriel had travelled to Rio de Janerio for Swift's Eras Tour.
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Local media reports that all three suspects already have criminal records - and that two had been arrested and released over the theft of 80 chocolate bars on Friday.
Gabriel was found dead at the water's edge - with a "Swiftie" friendship bracelet still on his wrist.
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