Ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who performed with Beyoncé and was seen by many as a trailblazer, has died at the age of 29.
A spokesperson announced her death on her personal Instagram page and in a statement her family said she was an “unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story”.
The cause of death has not been given.
DePrince made a remarkable journey from suffering as an orphan in war-torn Sierra Leone to numerous accolades in the world of international dance.
Her family said her death had been “sudden”, adding: “Michaela touched so many lives across the world, including ours.”
Tributes have been pouring in, including from others in the ballet community.
That’s just awful. Anyone who dies that young has a tragic death, but it’s so much more tragic when you achieve the level of accomplishment she did.
Ballet does wreck your body though. I wonder if that contributed to whatever ended up causing her death.
Its so sad. She was a bright shining light.
DePrince made a remarkable journey from suffering as an orphan in war-torn Sierra Leone to numerous accolades in the world of international dance.
That probably wrecks a body, too.
I just watched a video where she was talking about being stabbed in the belly with a machete by a child soldier right after her pregnant teacher was cut open in front of her by soldiers who wanted to know if the teacher’s baby was a girl or a boy.
Wow. That’s so tragic, on every level, for both humans. I watched a documentary on the making of child soldiers, they get them hooked on drugs, so they can live with the horrors, much like human traffickers do their victims.
29 you say? Well there’s no time to waste! How old is she now? There’s a ton of stuff to get done before 29 comes around!
The cause of death has not been given.
I think if she’d been in a car accident or something similar, they’d be forthcoming about it. I think this suggests a terrible illness. Sad news. Didn’t know who she was, but it’s a shame that someone who was truly gifted didn’t get to continue achieving greatness.
The only cause of death that is not immediately revealed is suicide and drug overdose.
Really? I guess that would make sense.
Quite a few public deaths of late with no reason given. When someone like this, so young and accomplished, dies it is in the public interest that the reason be revealed. There could be systemic abuse etc… and I would like to know steps are being taken to prevent this sort of tragedy from recurring if possible.
Often in a news article when someone is described as dying “suddenly” without any other explanation it’s understood to be a euphemism for suicide.
That’s not true. Accidental death is just as common if not more so.
Drug overdose is also often a possibility.
Edit: Why am I getting downvoted? I didn’t mean she overdosed. I’m just saying that’s a possibility when someone announces a famous person’s sudden death but we don’t find out until later. See: Prince.
I was including that as accidental.
Fair.
When someone like this, so young and accomplished, dies it is in the public interest that the reason be revealed.
Do we want to know? Yes.
Do we have a right to know? No.
Case closed.
Do we have a right to know? No.
Incorrect. Death certificate is a public document listing, among other things, the COD.
The vast majority of states limit who has access to death certificates.
You can’t get your hands on the certified copy of a death certificate unless you’re an authorized individual. But in many states, any member of the public can request an informational copy of a death certificate.
Well in the particular state in which she lived, New York, it is not public record.
I thought she lived in Boston
So not public then.
I see.
How do you figure?
Death certificate is a public document
Then go find it. Nobody is stopping you.
It’s actually not “in the public interest” for details about how she died to be made public. Thinking that you’re owed that information is a symptom of our voyeuristic, celebrity-worshipping culture
This is the same shit anti-vaxxers were saying a few years ago. “So many mysterious deaths… could it be vaccines?!?”
Yes, what a contentious ask: If your death is newsworthy, then so are all its particulars. How dare we!
