Michaela DePrince who left war zone to become a ballerina dies at 29

Michaela DePrince became a star dancer after growing up in an orphanage in Sierra Leone (AP Photo Denis Farrell, File)

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