Michaela DePrince, originally from Sierra Leone and later adopted by a family in the United States, passed away on September 10. Sadly, within 24 hours, her adoptive mother also passed away.
“As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated,” the family of the ballet star stated.
Although the cause of Michaela’s death has not yet been disclosed, her adoptive mother Elaine DePrince passed away “during a routine procedure in preparation for surgery” on September 11, as confirmed by a family statement.
Michaela’s sister, Mia Mabinty DePrince, shared her thoughts on the double loss with the BBC earlier this week.
She said: “I had just gotten off the phone with my mum’s doctor with her news when I was alerted about my sister, it just didn’t seem believable.
“It was really hard to hear because I normally pick up the phone to call my mum with anything, and it occurred to me that I couldn’t call her.”
The 29-year-old ballerina was known for her performances with Beyoncé and was recognized as a pioneer in ballet, becoming the youngest principal dancer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, New York.
Following her success there, she relocated to the Netherlands to join the Dutch National Ballet before advancing her career at Boston Ballet upon returning to the US.
Born in Kenema, Michaela lost both of her biological parents at the age of three amid the civil war in Sierra Leone.
Placed in an orphanage, she suffered mistreatment due to her vitiligo, a skin pigmentation condition, and has previously recounted receiving less food and clothing compared to other children.
In 2014, Michaela published a memoir titled “Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina,” detailing her journey from Sierra Leone to becoming a prominent ballet dancer.
Three years later, she released a second book titled “Ballet Dreams.”
Following the deaths of Elaine and Michaela, the family issued a statement: “The last few days have been even more difficult than most people realize because the family has also been dealing with the death of Michaela’s adoptive mother Elaine DePrince.”
“Her mother Elaine died during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery on September 11th. Michaela died before Elaine, and Elaine did not know of Michaela’s passing at the time of her procedure. As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated.”
The statement continued: “The only way we can make sense of the senseless is that Elaine, who had already lost three children many years ago, was by the grace of God spared the pain of experiencing the loss of a fourth child. What the family is going through right now is truly unimaginably painful. Grieving two family members who died within a 24 hour period is tragic and devastating.”