Mother of Ballerina Michaela DePrince Dies Day After Daughter’s Sudden Death at 29: ‘Truly Unimaginably Painful’

Mar. 15, 2025

Elaine DePrince, Michaela DePrince.Photo:Facebook; getty

Facebook; getty

The mother of late ballerina Michaela DePrince has died, just 24 hours after her daughter’s sudden death on Tuesday at age 29.

Elaine DePrince, a resident of Cherry Hill, NJ., died on Wednesday, Sept. 11, following the death of her adoptive daughter Michaela the day before on Sept. 10, according to aFacebook postfrom family spokesperson Jessica Volinski.

“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,” Volinski wrote.

Elaine “died during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery," Volinski said, while also noting that although “Michaela died before Elaine,” her mother “did not know of Michaela’s passing at the time of her procedure.”

Elaine DePrince, Michaela DePrince.Jason Kempin/Getty

Jason Kempin/Getty

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“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.

PEOPLE has reached out to Volinski for further comment.

Elaine DePrince and Ballerina Michaela DePrince.facebook

facebook

Michaela was a professional ballerina for the Boston Ballet before her death, and star of the 2011First Positiondocumentary.

Passionate about dancing since childhood, she studied at the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet before joining the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2012. She also danced for the Dutch National Ballet and joined the Boston Ballet as a principal soloist in 2021.

Michaela DePrince.Bryan Bedder/Getty

Bryan Bedder/Getty

The news of DePrince’s death was confirmed in astatementposted to her official Instagram account on Friday, Sept. 13.

No cause of death has been shared for Michaela at this time.

source: people.com