The family took to Facebook on Sept. 13 to announce Elaine had “died during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery.”
“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,” they shared in a statement.
Elaine DePrince, the adoptive mother of late ballerina Michaela DePrince, died on Sept. 11. Elaine DePrince / Facebook Elaine, seen here in a Facebook photo, died “during a routine procedure.” Elaine DePrince / Facebook The 77-year-old died one day after Michaela, pictured above together in 2017. Jason Kempin/Getty Images
The family noted that Elaine had already “lost three children many years ago,” so by not knowing about Michaela’s death, she “was by the grace of God spared the pain of experiencing the loss of a fourth child.”
“What the family is going through right now is truly unimaginably painful. Grieving two family members who died within a 24 hour period is tragic and devastating. We continue to ask for privacy and appreciate you directing anyone sharing incorrect information and speculation to this post,” they added.
A separate post shared to Elaine’s Facebook page noted that she died after “many years of battling a hereditary disease and heart failure.”
Michaela, shown here in 2012, died on Sept. 10 at age 29. Getty Images Elaine adopted Michaela from an orphanage in Africa in 1999. Parkwood Entertainment
Elaine was a mom to 11 children and also a famed author and lyricist.
The family announced the loss the same day that they shared the news of Michaela’s Sept. 10 death.
“Michaela touched so many lives across the world, including ours. She was an unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story,” they wrote on Facebook on Sept. 13.
“Her passion and impact on the dance world, especially in inspiring young Black dancers to pursue their dreams, has been tremendous. We will miss her and her gorgeous smile forever and we know you will, too.”
Elaine went on to sign up Michaela, pictured here in 2023, for dance classes. michaeladeprince/Instagram Michaela had a breakout role in Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album, “Lemonade.” Parkwood Entertainment
Michaela was a well-known ballerina who rose to fame in the 2011 documentary “First Position” and also performed in Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album, “Lemonade.”
She released a memoir, “Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina,” in 2016 in which she detailed growing up in an orphanage in Africa after her father was murdered in Sierra Leone’s civil war and her mom died of a fever.
Elaine adopted Michaela and her sister, Mia DePrince, in 1999 when Michaela was 4 years old, and they lived in Cherry Hill, NJ, where the future ballerina began taking dance classes.
The ballerina, pictured here in 2022, studied at the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre Her cause of death has not been released. AP
“There was so much love right away. I had never been surrounded by something like that,” she recalled to Glamour in 2015.
Michaela went on to study at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and later danced at the Dutch National Ballet and the Boston Ballet.
Her cause of death has not been revealed.
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