Ballerina Michaela DePrince, 29, and her mother die within 24 hours of each other

Dancer’s family suffer “truly unimaginably painful” time after being hit with the double tragedy. After moving to the US as an orphan from war-torn Sierra Leone , ballet star Michaela Mabinty DePrince’s ascent to the world stage was seen as a story of success over adversity. But in a double tragedy for the young dancer’s family, it has emerged that both the 29-year-old ballerina and her adoptive mother died within 24 hours of each other this week.

DePrince, who was hailed as a trailblazer and who has performed alongside Beyonce , suffered a “sudden death” on September 10, her family said. No cause of death was provided. They have since revealed that the last few days were “even more difficult than most people realise” because they were also contending with the death of her adoptive mother, Elaine.



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