Taylor Swift postponed a concert she was due to perform in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday after learning that a fan had died shortly before her performance on Friday.

The decision came as thousands of people were already at the stadium as part of Eras’ record-breaking tour.

In an Instagram post, Swift wrote: “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew must and will always come first.”

Brazil is experiencing an unprecedented heat wave, prompting a health alert. Authorities warned of health risks as the heat index, which combines temperature and humidity, reached 59.3 degrees Celsius on Friday and 59.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

In an Instagram post, the pop star said she was ‘devastated’ by her fan’s death and her heart was ‘broken’, adding: ‘She was so incredibly beautiful and so young. “I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it’s with a broken heart that we lost a fan earlier before my show,” Taylor Swift wrote.

“I can’t even say how devastated I am by this,” she concluded.

According to the organizers, 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado had called for help at the stadium after feeling unwell. He was taken to hospital but died an hour later.

According to the Brazilian newspaper Fohla De Sao Paolo, the cause of death was given as cardiorespiratory arrest.

“I want to say now that I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends,” Taylor Swift said.

He added that this was “the last thing” he thought would happen when he brought the tour to Brazil.

Rio mayor Eduardo Paes posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that what happened was unacceptable and had asked the concert producers for several changes, including additional water distribution points and more emergency services.