Michaela DePrince, the celebrated ballerina who rose from a war-torn childhood in Sierra Leone to international fame, tragically passed away at the age of 29 on September 10. Just a day later, her adoptive mother, Elaine DePrince, also died, aged 77, during a routine medical procedure in preparation for surgery. The back-to-back losses have left the family reeling, as confirmed by family spokesperson Jess Volinski.
In a statement shared on social media, Volinski wrote, “The last few days have been even more difficult than most people realize because the family has also been dealing with the death of Michaela’s adoptive mother, Elaine DePrince.” While Michaela’s cause of death remains undisclosed, the family emphasized that the two deaths were entirely unrelated, noting, “As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated.” Volinski further expressed, “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.”
Elaine and her husband, Charles, who passed away in 2020, adopted Michaela at age four from an orphanage in Sierra Leone, where she had been living after losing her parents to the country’s brutal civil war. Michaela, born Mabinty Bangura, was rejected by several adoptive families due to her skin condition, vitiligo. However, when Elaine learned of Michaela’s story, she made the decision to adopt not only Michaela but also another girl in the orphanage named Mabinty, renaming them Michaela Mabinty DePrince and Mia Mabinty DePrince.
Elaine DePrince had already faced heartbreaking loss years prior, having adopted three boys with haemophilia in the 1980s. Tragically, all three boys contracted HIV from tainted blood supplies and passed away in the 1990s, along with many others in the haemophilia community.
Michaela DePrince’s journey to becoming a world-class dancer began shortly after her adoption and relocation to New Jersey. She was inspired by a photograph of a ballerina she found at the orphanage, fueling her passion for ballet. She trained at prestigious institutions, including the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre in New York. Michaela appeared in the award-winning documentary First Position and gained global recognition for her performance in Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album Lemonade. She became the youngest member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem at just 17 and went on to perform with both the Dutch National Ballet and the Boston Ballet.
Volinski described the family’s grief as “truly unimaginably painful,” saying, “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.”
Elaine DePrince, a dedicated mother of 11 and a former special education teacher, is survived by her children Mia, Amie, Jaye, Mariel, Bee, Erik, and Adam.
