The tragic deaths of renowned ballet dancer Michaela DePrince and her adoptive mother, Elaine DePrince, occurred just one day apart earlier this month, adding to the unimaginable grief for the DePrince family. Michaela, a rising star in the ballet world, passed away on September 10, 2024, at the age of 29, with the cause of death yet to be made public. Elaine DePrince, Michaela’s mother, died the following day at the age of 77 during a routine medical procedure in preparation for surgery.

According to a family statement shared by spokesperson Jess Volinski on Facebook, Elaine was unaware of Michaela’s passing before her own death, and the two events were unrelated.

Elaine DePrince was a former special education teacher and a dedicated mother to 11 children, five of whom survive her. Along with her husband, Charles, who passed away in 2020, Elaine had adopted several children, including Michaela and her sister Mia from Sierra Leone in 1999.

In the 1980s, the DePrinces also adopted three sons with hemophilia, all of whom tragically contracted HIV and passed away during the 1990s. Elaine had already experienced the deep pain of losing three children, and the family’s statement reflected that she may have been spared the agony of enduring the loss of a fourth.

The article is not finished. Click on the next page to continue.