Ballerina 'unforgettable inspiration' for many

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

- FREIDA FRISARO

Ballet dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, has died at age 29.

“Michaela touched so many lives across the world, including ours. She was an unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story,” her family said in a statement posted Friday on DePrince’s social media accounts.

“From her early life in war-torn Africa, to stages and screens across the world, she achieved her dreams and so much more.”

A cause of death was not provided.