Ana Clara Benevides Machado died before Friday’s Eras performance kicked off.
Taylor Swift gets emotional singing 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' in Brazil
Taylor Swift returned to the stage in Brazil after postponing her second show due to the sweltering heat. A fan died before her first Brazil concert amid the conditions. (@missamaricana / LOCAL NEWS X / TMX)
Taylor Swift delivered a powerful performance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, possibly paying tribute to a fan, Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who died shortly before one of her shows.
During the concert, which faced a major downpour for its entirety, Swift sang her ballad "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" as one of her surprise songs and looked visibly emotional at the piano as she played.
The song includes lyrics like, "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye/You were bigger than the whole sky/You were more than just a short time."
Fans praised the singer for the supposed gesture toward Machado.
TAYLOR SWIFT ‘DEVASTATED’ AS FAN DIES BEFORE BRAZIL CONCERT
Taylor Swift performed her ballad "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" in an apparent tribute to a fan, Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who died shortly before Friday's Eras tour show. (TAS2023 via Getty Images)
"You can clearly see she snapped back into professionalism walled herself up so she wouldn’t cry singing it. oh Taylor i get you sooooo much. i love you," wrote one.
"I know Taylor said that she would never be able to talk about what happened but this was such a beautiful and special way to honour Ana," said another.
"Instant tears, so heartbreaking," added a third.
WATCH: TAYLOR SWIFT GETS EMOTIONAL SINGING 'BIGGER THAN THE WHOLE SKY' IN BRAZIL
Intense heat on Friday is speculated to have contributed to the death of Machado. That morning, the apparent temperature in Rio – a combination of temperature and humidity – was recorded at 138 F, the highest index ever recorded in the area.
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The 23-year-old fainted Friday at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium and later died. Her cause of death is currently unknown.
Upon learning of Machado’s death, Swift expressed that she was "shattered" and "devastated" by the loss on her social media.
Swift added, "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."
Swift performed in another rain-soaked show in Rio de Janeiro, following extreme temperatures Friday and Saturday. (TAS2023 via Getty Images)
TAYLOR SWIFT HONORED ON CHRIST THE REDEEMER STATUE: 'WELCOME TO BRAZIL'
The "Cruel Summer" singer’s Saturday night performance was postponed due to "extreme temperatures."
"I'm writing this from my dressing room at the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight's show due to extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew has to and will always come first," Swift wrote.
Swift is scheduled to perform Monday night in Rio de Janeiro, before heading to São Paulo for the final three shows of the year on Nov. 24-26, with rain in the forecast. The Eras tour will pick back up with dates beginning in 2024 in Japan.
The weekend also marked another awards accomplishment for the "Love Story" singer.
Swift's Eras tour has four more shows before wrapping for the year and beginning again in 2024. (TAS2023 via Getty Images)
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Swift is now tied with Drake for the most Billboard Music Awards in history, earning 10 trophies Sunday night, giving her a total of 39 throughout her career.
She thanked Billboard and her fans in a pre-recorded video, apparently backstage at the Eras tour while wearing her show opening look of a bejeweled leotard.
"Well, this is unreal. The fact that you guys have given me 10 Billboard Awards, I’m talking the fans specifically, none of this happens without you," Swift said in the video.
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She continued, "Billboards base everything off of what you are listening to and what you are passionate about and I’m so honored that this year, you made the Eras tour so magical. You went and saw the movie, you cared about my re-recordings. I just, like, I love you so much. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have you in my corner and caring about music that I make, so thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, 10 million times for this."
Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
