Michaela DePrince was an exceptional ballerina, she appeared on Dancing with the Stars amongst many other great accomplishments but unfortunately has lost her life aged 29 years old, with cause of death currently unknown.
The news of the dancer’s death was shared via Instagram with the statement “With pain in our hearts, we share the loss of star ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, whose artistry touched countless hearts and whose spirit inspired many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet, and beyond.”
DePrince was born in Sierra Leone in 1995, growing up in an orphanage, she was later adopted in 1999 with another girl, Mia, by Elaine and Charles DePrince who lived in New Jersey.
DePrince found her love of dance, in particular ballet, early on and went to a ballet school in Philadelphia, later starring in a documentary in 2011, First Position.
She had many milestones during her dance career such as starring in Dancing with the Stars, being the second soloist for the Boston Ballet and also starring in Beyonce’s Lemonade film.
For unrelated reasons, Elaine DePrince [her mother] also passed away a day later, on September 11th during a routine procedure in preparation for surgery, aged 77.
The statement made was as follows: “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 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.”
Elaine and husband Charles, had previously adopted 3 boys with hemophilia back in the 1980s but in the 1990s they had all contracted and died of HIV. They shortly visited Sierra Leone and that is where they adopted the 2 girls with the same name, Mabinty.
