The mom of late ballerina Michaela DePrince has died, simply 24 hours after her daughter’s sudden dying on Tuesday at age 29.
Elaine DePrince, a resident of Cherry Hill, NJ., died on Wednesday, Sept. 11, following the dying of her adoptive daughter Michaela the day earlier than on Sept. 10, in line with a Facebook post from household spokesperson Jessica Volinski.
“The previous couple of days have been much more tough than most individuals understand as a result of the household has additionally been coping with the dying of Michaela’s adoptive mom Elaine DePrince,” Volinski wrote.
Elaine “died throughout a routine process in preparation for a surgical procedure,” Volinski stated, whereas additionally noting that though “Michaela died earlier than Elaine,” her mom “didn’t know of Michaela’s passing on the time of her process.”
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“As unbelievable as it could appear, the 2 deaths had been utterly unrelated. The one approach we will make sense of the mindless is that Elaine, who had already misplaced three youngsters a few years in the past, was by the grace of God spared the ache of experiencing the lack of a fourth youngster.”
“What the household goes by means of proper now’s actually unimaginably painful. Grieving two members of the family who died inside a 24 hour interval is tragic and devastating,” the put up learn.
PEOPLE has reached out to Volinski for additional remark.
Michaela was an expert ballerina for the Boston Ballet earlier than her dying, and star of the 2011 First Place documentary.
She grew up as an orphan in Sierra Leone earlier than being adopted by Elaine and her household and shifting to the U.S., she instructed Glamour in 2015.
Captivated with dancing since childhood, she studied on the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Faculty of Ballet earlier than becoming a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2012. She additionally danced for the Dutch Nationwide Ballet and joined the Boston Ballet as a principal soloist in 2021.
The information of DePrince’s dying was confirmed in a statement posted to her official Instagram account on Friday, Sept. 13.
“With ache in our hearts, we share the lack of star ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, whose artistry touched numerous hearts and whose spirit impressed many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet, and past,” the assertion, signed by “Workforce MDP,” started.
DePrince’s life was “one outlined by grace, objective, and power,” her crew continued. “Her unwavering dedication to her artwork, her humanitarian efforts, and her braveness in overcoming unimaginable challenges will eternally encourage us,” remembering the dancer as somebody who “stood as a beacon of hope for a lot of, exhibiting that irrespective of the obstacles, magnificence and greatness can rise from the darkest of locations.”
Workforce MPD continued, by including, “Although her time with us was far too transient, her brilliance and legacy will proceed to shine within the hearts of all who had been touched by her story, for generations to come back. Love and prayers go to her chosen household, mates, and those that liked her.”
No reason for dying has been shared for Michaela at the moment.