When Michaela DePrince was living in an orphanage during Sierra Leone’s civil war in the late 1990s, death was all around her: Her parents were gone, her uncle had abandoned her, and she witnessed the murder of her teacher.

Ballet dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who came to the United States from an orphanage in war-torn Sierra Leone and performed on some of the world's biggest stages, has died, her family said in a statement. She was 29.

Michaela DePrince's family and Boston Ballet issued statements following the 29-year-old ballerina's sudden death.

Michaela Mabinty DePrince, the ballerina born during a civil war in Sierra Leone who performed in Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ music video died at 29 according to an announcement posted to her official Instagram page on Friday.

Elaine DePrince, 77, had not been made aware of her 29-year-old daughter's death when she began preparation for her own surgery.

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 Mabinty DePrince was a trailblazer in the ballet world before her tragic death at age 29. News broke of the dancer's death in September 2024, but a cause was not immediately revealed. "With pain in our hearts,