The adoptive mother of ballerina Michaela DePrince passed away the day after DePrince’s sudden death at age 29. A family spokesperson said Elaine DePrince died on Wednesday, Sept. 11, just one day after Michaela was found dead in her home.
Elaine was unaware that Michaela had died.
RIP – Michaela Deprince ? pic.twitter.com/C3O8zVhNor
— SweetJack (@Notizia18894) September 13, 2024
“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,” family spokesperson Jessica Volinski wrote.
She said Elaine “died during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery.”
Volinski added that although “Michaela died before Elaine,” her mother “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. 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.”
“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,” the post read.
Michaela Mabinty DePrince." Rest In Power my sista!!! pic.twitter.com/CiOgCntxfB
— Shufflin' Along, LLC (@shufflin_along) September 14, 2024
Other blogs stated that Michaela took her own life after her mother died. But that is not true. The family did not release a cause or manner of death.
The family only said Michaela “died suddenly” on Sept. 10.
Michaela was born in war-torn Sierra Leone. She lived in an orphanage with her sister until Elaine and her husband adopted them and brought them to New Jersey.
Michaela learned to dance and she went on to become one of the nation’s premiere solo ballerinas for the Boston Ballet.
