(CNN) – Michaela Mabinty DePrince, the dancer born during a civil war in Sierra Leone who starred in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” visual album, has died at age 29, according to an announcement posted on his official Instagram page.
“Her life was defined by grace, purpose and strength. Her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us,” the post said.
“She was a beacon of hope to many, proving that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can emerge from the darkest of places,” he added.
No cause of death has been given. His sister Mia said she was in “shock and deep sadness.”
DePrince made history as the youngest principal dancer at Dance Theatre of Harlem and went on to dance with the Dutch National Ballet and the Boston Ballet, where she was a second soloist.
Her talents became known to a wider audience with an appearance in ‘Lemonade’, the video that accompanied Beyoncé’s album of the same name. DePrince I’ll tell you in the WSJ who thought it was a joke when she heard that the singer wanted her for the video, who told her in person that it was an ‘honor’ to have her as the protagonist.
Born during Sierra Leone’s brutal war and sent to live in an orphanage after both of her biological parents died — her father was killed by rebels and her mother starved to death — DePrince had an early life marked by the horrors of war.
At the orphanage, she was called “the devil’s daughter” and was mistreated by the caretakers because she had vitiligo, a skin condition that causes patches of lighter skin. She witnessed the murder of one of her teachers by rebels and was stabbed by a small boy while trying to save her.
“I actually have a scar and it was a blackout after that — I have no idea how I survived, it was horrible,” she told CNN during a 2012 interview.
Named Mabinty Bangura when she was born, DePrince first saw a ballerina on the cover of a magazine outside the orphanage when she was just three years old.
“I was so fascinated by this person, by how beautiful she was, by how she was wearing such a beautiful costume,” DePrince said. Even though she had no idea what ballet was, she saved the magazine cover and dreamed of one day being as happy as the dancer in the photo.
Shortly after, DePrince was adopted by a couple from New Jersey and began a new life in the United States. Her family encouraged her love of ballet and enrolled her in classes.
“From the very beginning of our story in Africa, sleeping on a shared mat in the orphanage, Michaela (Mabinty) and I used to make up our own musical plays and perform them. We created our own ballets,” wrote her sister Mia, who was also born in Sierra Leone and adopted by the same family, in a statement.
DePrince earned a full scholarship to American Ballet Theater’s summer intensive program at age 13 and earned another scholarship to the Youth America Grand Prix, the world’s largest ballet competition.
It was not a journey without its difficulties. As a black girl in the predominantly white field of ballet, she almost gave up at age 10 when a teacher said she did not want to invest effort and money into black dancers.
But her determination persevered. “I’m still trying to change the way people see black dancers, that we can be delicate dancers, that we can be a ballerina,” she told CNN at age 17.
“Despite being told that ‘the world wasn’t ready for black dancers’ or that ‘black dancers weren’t worth it,’ she remained determined, focused, and began making great strides,” dancer Misty Copeland wrote in a tribute posted on social media. “Michaela had so much more to give,” she added.
In 2014, DePrince co-wrote a memoir about her life with her adoptive mother called ‘Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina’ and became an ambassador for War Child Holland, promoting the wellbeing and mental health of children living in war zones.
“This job meant the world to her,” her family wrote in their statement, asking people to donate to the organization in her memory.
With previous reporting by CNN’s Nkepile Mabuse.
