(CNN) – Michaela Mabinty DePrince, the dancer born during a civil war in Sierra Leone who performed in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” visual album, has died at age 29, according to an announcement posted on their official Instagram page.
“His life was defined by grace, purpose and strength. “His unwavering commitment to his art, his humanitarian efforts, and his bravery in overcoming unimaginable challenges will inspire us forever,” the post read.
“She was a beacon of hope to many, proving that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can emerge from the darkest places.” she added.
No cause of death has been given. Her sister Mia said she was in “shock and deep sadness.”
DePrince made history as the youngest principal dancer at the Dance Theater of Harlem and went on to dance with the Dutch National Ballet and the Boston Ballet, where she was second soloist.
Her talent was made known to a wider audience with an appearance in ‘Lemonade’, the video that accompanied Beyoncé’s album of the same name. DePrince he told 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 the brutal war in Sierra Leone and sent to live in an orphanage after both 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 caregivers because she had vitiligo, a skin condition that causes patches of lighter skin. She witnessed the murder of one of her teachers by her rebels and she was stabbed by a little boy while he tried 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,” he told CNN during a 2012 interview.
Named Mabinty Bangura when she was born, DePrince first saw a dancer 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 wore such a beautiful suit,” DePrince said. Although 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 New Jersey couple and began a new life in the United States. Her family encouraged her love of ballet and enrolled her in classes.
“From the 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 theater plays and perform them. We create our own ballets,” her sister Mia, who was also born in Sierra Leone and adopted by the same family, wrote 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 difficulties. As a black girl in the predominantly white field of ballet, she almost gave up at age 10 when a teacher said she didn’t want to invest effort and money into black dancers.
But his 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 dancer,” she told CNN at age seventeen.
“Despite being told that ‘the world wasn’t ready for black dancers’ or that ‘black dancers weren’t worth it,’ she stayed determined, focused, and began making great strides,” wrote dancer Misty Copeland in a tribute published on social networks. “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 well-being and mental health of children living in areas of war.
“This job meant the world to her,” her family wrote in their statement, asking that people donate to the organization in her memory.
With previous reporting by CNN’s Nkepile Mabuse.
