A Cirque Du Soleil veteran performer died Saturday night during a performance of Ka at MGM Grand. The performer has been identified as 31-year-old mother of two Sarah Guyard-Guillot.
Guyard-Guillot, who had more than 2 decades of experience in acrobatic and aerial performance, fell 50 feet to her death after slipping out of a safety wire as she was being raised up to the vertical stage. She was rushed to University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 11:43 p.m.
“Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the [show],” said witness Dan Mosqueda. “But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage.”
"The entire Cirque du Soleil family is deeply saddened by the accidental death. The artist’s immediate family has been informed of the accident. Our thoughts are with her family and the entire Cirque du Soleil family,” the organization said in a statement.
Founder Guy Laliberté said he is “heartbroken” by Guyard-Guillot’s death and noted that she “was an artist with the original cast of Ka since 2006 and has been an integral part of our Cirque du Soleil tight family.” “We are reminded, with great humility and respect, how extraordinary our artists are each and every night. Our focus now is to support each other as a family,” he added.
Saturday night’s show was canceled immediately after Guyard-Guillot’s fall and the audience was given the option to obtain a refund or a voucher to a future show. All Ka show times have been canceled.
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