Taylor Swift performs emotional song following death of fan who fell ill before concert

Swifties all over were left heartbroken after a fan died after falling ill before Taylor Swift's show last Friday (17 November).

The fan, 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado, was rushed to hospital after seeking help at the Nilton Santos stadium in in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during Swift's Eras Tour before she died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Since then, the 'Cruel Summer' singer performed an emotional song following the death of Benevides at the Estádio Nilton Santos on Sunday (19 November). Have a look:

Concertgoers reported scorching weather conditions in the city with temperatures reported to reach more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) inside the stadium.

Swift, 33, tried her best to take care of her adoring fans, briefly pausing the live concert so that they could stock up on water. The singer also threw bottles to the crowd while she was singing.

At one point during the concert, fans could even be heard chanting 'Water, water, water' as Swift belted out tracks from her extensive discography.

Swift has since taken to her Instagram stories to address the heartbreaking news, saying she is 'overwhelmed by grief.'

Instagram/@taylorswift

She wrote: "I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a 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 this.

"There’s very little information I have, other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young."

She singer added: "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 thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil."

Less than 24 hours later, Swift decided to postpone Saturday's show (18 November) writing on her Instagram story: "I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium.

"The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio.

X/@missamaricana

"The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew always has to come first."

Then, on the following day, Swift made her return to the stage and appeared to have offered a tribute to Benevides.

While she did not directly mention the death of the young woman, fans have since speculated that her rendition of 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' was in memory of the late college student.

The lyrics to the emotion track read: "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye / You were bigger than the whole sky.

"I've got a lot to live without / I'm never gonna meet / What could've been, would've been / What should’ve been you."

Since the tragedy, Ana's father Weiny Machado told local news outlet Folha de São Paulo: "I want it to be found out whether they were in fact prohibited from bringing water, whether there was negligence in providing assistance.

"I know that the singer was handing out water to her fans, and that is absurd for an event of this size. Nothing will bring my daughter back, but I hope that, if negligence is confirmed, someone will be punished, so that this doesn’t happen to anyone else."