Police are investigating the death of a Cirque du Soleil performer who died from injuries sustained during a fall at a Saturday night performance in Tampa, Florida.
The performer, Yann Arnaud, died from his injuries after he fell to the stage while swinging from an aerial strap over the audience during Cirque du Soleil’s Saturday night performance of VOLTA in Tampa.
Officials told FOX 13 that doctors pronounced Arnaud dead after he was transported to Tampa General Hospital.
“The entire Cirque du Soleil family is in shock and devastated by this tragedy. Yann had been with us for over 15 years and was loved by all who had the chance to know him. Over the coming days and weeks, our focus will be on supporting Yann’s family and our employees, especially the VOLTA team, as we go through these difficult times together,” Cirque du Soleil president and CEO Daniel Lamarre said in a statement tweeted out Sunday.
“We are currently gathering more information about this tragic event. We are offering our full and transparent collaboration to the authorities as they look into the circumstances of this accident,” he added.
Cirque du Soleil promptly ended the show and asked guests to leave after Arnaud’s fall. A spokesperson with Cirque du Soleil announced that Sunday’s scheduled performances for 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m in Tampa have been canceled, adding that the company would contact those holding tickets for the affected shows.
Cirque du Soleil’s VOLTA had been holding performances in a tent at the Tampa Greyhound Track since February.
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