Mother of renowned ballerina Michaela DePrince died a day after daughter's death, family says

The mother of world-renowned ballerina and humanitarian Michaela DePrince died a day after her daughter’s death, a family spokesperson said.

Elaine DePrince of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, died on Sept. 11, 2024, during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery, according to family spokesperson Jessica Volinski. Her death occurred the day after her adopted daughter Michaela died at the age of 29.

“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," Volinski wrote. "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."

While Michaela’s death was publicly announced on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, Volinski stated that she passed away on Sept. 10, 2024. The family has not released a cause of death.

“What the family is going through right now is truly unimaginably painful," Volinski wrote. "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.”

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The life of Michaela DePrince

Michaela DePrince was born Mabinty Bangura in Sierra Leone, Africa. After her father was killed by rebels and her mother died from disease and starvation, she was dropped off at an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the age of 3. While at the orphanage, DePrince spotted an image from a magazine that showed an American ballet dancer.

"All I remember is she looked really, really happy," Michaela told The Associated Press back in 2012. DePrince said she wished "to become this exact person."

Michaela also dealt with malnourishment, mistreatment and the skin disorder vitiligo.

"I lost both my parents, so I was there (the orphanage) for about a year and I wasn't treated very well because I had vitiligo," she told The Associated Press back in 2012. "We were ranked as numbers and number 27 was the least favorite and that was my number, so I got the least amount of food, the least amount of clothes and what not."

Michaela told The Associated Press that she then walked shoeless for miles to reach a refugee camp after receiving word that her orphanage would be bombed. She, along with two other girls, were then adopted by Elaine DePrince and her husband, both of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, at the age of 4.

"They came to me sick and traumatized by the war," Elaine DePrince told The Associated Press in 2012. "Michaela arrived with the worst case of tonsillitis, fever, mononucleosis and joints that were swollen."

Michaela said her time in the orphanage impacted her for years. However, remembering how inspired she was by the ballerina image from the magazine, she soon found comfort and inspiration through dance.

Michaela began training in various competitions before attending the Rock School for Dance Education, a prestigious ballet school located in Philadelphia.

"I'm a little bit in disbelief. I have not really processed the enormity of the loss, not even to myself, but the entire field of classical ballet and certainly to the Rock School," Director of the Rock School Peter Stark told NBC10. "Michaela's story is really a remarkable tale of human perseverance and you almost have to wonder if there wasn't divine intervention."

During her dance journey, Michaela said she experienced racial discrimination.

“When I was 8 years old this teacher said, ‘You know, we don’t put a lot of effort into the Black ballerinas because they all end up getting fat and having big boobs,’” Michaela told NBC News back in 2017.

Michaela was undeterred however and continued to rise in the world of ballet. At the age of 17 she was featured in a documentary film and performed on the TV series “Dancing With the Stars.” She graduated from high school and the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and worked at Dance Theatre of Harlem where she was the youngest principal dancer in the theatre's history.

She also performed in her first professional full ballet back in July 2012 in South Africa.

In 2013, she joined the junior company of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam and joined the Dutch National Ballet as a student in 2014. She continued to rise through the ranks and break new ground while inspiring a generation of Black and brown girls.

Her celebrity continued to grow when she performed in Beyoncé's 2016 musical film "Lemonade." Pop superstar Madonna was also in talks to direct a biopic based on DePrince’s memoir back in 2018.

Michaela later joined the Boston Ballet in 2021 as a second soloist and danced the leading role in the 2021 ballet film “Coppelia.”

In addition to dance, DePrince was also a humanitarian who advocated for children impacted by conflict and violence. She also served as the ambassador for War Child Holland, an independent non-governmental organization that works to ensure children have access to protection, education and psychosocial support.

"The survival of classical ballet is dependent on diversification. It's dancers like Michaela DePrince that are literally paving the path forward for the continuation of this artform,” Stark said. “We cannot survive without trailblazers and courageous women like Michaela and her loss is a devastating blow.”