Renowned ballet dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince and her adoptive mother died within one day of each other, their family confirmed to ABC News this week.
Michaela DePrince died Sept. 10 at the age of 29 and her mother Elaine DePrince, who adopted her as a young girl
died Sept. 11 “during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery,” according to a family statement shared on Facebook.
The DePrince family did not immediately share a cause of death for Michaela DePrince.
“As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated,” the family said in part in their statement, which was also shared with ABC News. “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.”
Michaela Mabinty DePrince was a second soloist for the Boston Ballet.
Photo by Liza Voll. Courtesy of Boston Ballet
The DePrince family called their back-to-back losses “truly unimaginably painful.”
“Grieving two family members who died within a 24 hour period is tragic and devastating,” they said.
The late Elaine DePrince is pictured with two of her daughters, including the late Michaela Mabinty DePrince, in a photo provided by the DePrince family.
Courtesy of DePrince Family
Michaela DePrince was a second soloist with Boston Ballet, which told “Good Morning America” the artist, who was part of the company from September 2021 to May 2024, “will be greatly missed.”
“It was an absolute honor to have Mabinty in our Company for three seasons. Her indelible spirit inspired so many,” Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen said in a statement. “Her courage and perseverance will have a lasting impact on the dance community, here in Boston and around the world.”
Boston Ballet Executive Director Ming Min Hui also praised Michaela DePrince’s artistry and her lasting impact, not just in the ballet world, but also outside of it.
“Mabinty was just as beautiful on the stage as she was off. She was an advocate for what ballet can be, as a much bigger art form and a much bigger source of inspiration and hope for people,” Hui said. “She was brave in being willing to share not only her artistry but also her story with the world.”
Michaela DePrince was adopted from Sierra Leone and arrived in the U.S. as a child, joining a big family with 10 other siblings, according to her official website biography.
She rose to prominence as a young Black dancer, graduating from American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2012 and appearing on “Dancing with the Stars” when she was just 17.
Michaela Mabinty DePrince was a second soloist for the Boston Ballet.
Photo by Lisa Voll. Courtesy of Boston Ballet
She eventually went professional, joining the ranks of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she made history as the youngest dancer to be featured in principal roles, according to the company. She went on to join the Dutch National Ballet as a soloist before joining Boston Ballet in 2021.
She was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2020.
In addition to dancing, Michaela DePrince served as an ambassador for War Child, a nonprofit in the Netherlands that advocates for children in war-torn countries.
Tributes to the the dancer poured in following her death.
Michaela Mabinty DePrince was a second soloist for the Boston Ballet.
Photo by Rosalie O’Connor/Rosalie O’Connor Photography. Courtesy Boston Ballet
“Michaela is taken from us far too soon. Our thoughts are with her loved ones and family,” the Dutch National Ballet shared in a memoriam tribute to DePrince.
American Ballet Theatre and the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School also shared a tribute to Michaela DePrince on Instagram, writing, “Michaela’s extraordinary journey, from her time at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and ABT Summer Intensive to the global stage, inspired countless dancers and touched the hearts of many. Her resilience, grace, and talent left an indelible mark on the dance world. We express our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who were touched by her light.”
Famed ABT principal dancer Misty Copeland, meanwhile, shared an excerpt about Michaela DePrince from her book “Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy” on Instagram, adding, “Michaela had so much more to give, not just to ballet, but to the world. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations of dancers, but her absence leaves a void that will be felt deeply.”
