Taylor Swift fights back tears on Eras Tour stage after deaths of two young fans

Taylor Swift choked up and cried during a surprise song on Sunday following the deaths of two of her fans this weekend

Taylor Swift could be seen choking up and crying during a heartwrenching performance of Bigger Than The Whole Sky on Sunday during her Eras Tour show in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, after two of her fans died this weekend

Taylor Swift choked up on stage at the Eras Tour, fighting back tears as she performed a piano ballad during the second show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, lyrically announcing that she is “sick with sadness” following the deaths of two of her young fans.

Ana Benevides, 23, collapsed and later died of cardiac arrest just before the Eras Tour show on Friday as ᴅᴇᴀᴅly heat engulfed Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, boiling attendees in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Over 1,000 fans fainted from the heat, firefighters told local media, and Taylor herself could be seen heaving after finishing a particularly upbeat, high-energy performance of Bejeweled from Midnights in terrifying videos that circulated the internet.

Just 48 hours later, 25-year-old Gabriel Santos was stabbed to death in a violent robbery on the famous Copacabana beach as he waited to attend the show on Sunday night.

Taylor Swift performed Bigger Than The Whole Sky from Midnights, seemingly in memory of the two fans who died over the weeken

The Anti-Hero hitmaker choked up on stage, tears streaming down her face as she gave one of her most emotional performances of the Eras Tour yet on Sunday evening during the surprise song section of the show.

Every performance, Taylor performs two acoustic songs from her immense repertoire, one on the guitar and one on the piano. She tries to vary them up each night, performing ones she hasn’t played live before or that haven’t yet been heard on the Eras Tour.

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The sweltering heat on Friday caused over 1,000 fans to faint, local firefighters say

Sunday’s show was no different — she played Dancing With Our Hands Tied from 2017’s reputation as the first surprise song, an upbeat love anthem that she hadn’t performed live since the Reputation Stadium Tour.

But her second song choice left the audience and fans from around the world who tuned in via livestreams on TikTok and other social media platforms sobbing as the singer herself choked up, her words catching in her mouth.The song she chose was Bigger Than The Whole Sky, a down-tempo, heartwrenching ballad detailing loss and mourning.

Concert organisers responded to the heat wave crisis, announcing new measures to provide water to fans and an increase in emergency services present

When it was first released as a 3am Edition track on her 2022 album Midnights, many used it to overcome sadness related to stillbirths or deaths in their families. And now it appears Taylor might have chosen it for a similar reason.

“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 / ’cause it’s all over now, all out to sea,” she melodically began, thick emotion clouding her voice after just the first few bars.

Taylor Swift was overwhelmed by her fans’ cheering in Rio as they welcomed her back following a canceled show due to heat, just after two fans also died

When she reached the chorus, tears could be seen streaming down her face, the sad, reflective mood supplemented by the rain that was pouring down in the stadium.

“Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye / You were bigger than the whole sky / You were more than just a short time / And I’ve got a lot to pine about / 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,” she belted, grief and sadness infused into every single word.

Ana Clara Benevides, 23, died on Friday after suffering from cardiac arrest

When she sang the line “Did some force take you because I didn’t pray?” during the second verse, she almost broke down but was able to pull herself together and finish the song.

Videos from the performance show fans in the audience sobbing as they sing the words right alongside the 12-time Grammy winner. When she finished the song, she stood up as she normally does but paused a moment, turning toward her fans and blowing them a kiss. She mouthed the words “I love you all,” then did her signature stage dive, launching the show into the final era, the Midnights era.

Gabriel Milhomem Santos was stabbed to death in a robbery before he could attend Taylor’s Sunday show

While Taylor herself didn’t say that the song was dedicated to the fans who had died — the singer previously wrote in an Instagram story that she wouldn’t be able to speak about it on stage because it’s too painful — many fans are speculating that the song was for them.

One X user, a platform formerly known as Twitter, summed up what many were thinking and wrote: “i know taylor said she wouldn’t be able to speak about ana on stage as it is too painful for her but bigger than the whole sky was such a beautiful way to honor her, truly so special :(” Others posted pictures of Ana and Gabriel, writing the lyrics to the song above their smiling faces.