The Cirque du Soleil death of an aerialist who plunged 20 feet to the stage during a show in Florida over the weekend raised questions about how many other fatalities relating to the show have occurred since its creation in 1984.
Yann Arnaud's death is one of at least three others among members of Cirque du Soleil while on tour over the years and many others have been injured.
According to police in Tampa, Arnaud’s hand slipped from a ring during the Cirque du Soleil “Volta” on Saturday and the long-time aerial artist fell in front of the audience of several hundred, ABC News reported. He was rushed to the Tampa General Hospital but later died from injuries.
The rest of the show was cancelled, WTSP reported.
Vanity Fair reported there 53 injuries among performers in Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas in 2012 alone, resulting in 918 missed workdays.
Besides Yann Arnaud, among other Cirque du Soleil deaths making headlines:
1. Oleksandr Zhurov – In 2009 the Ukrainian performer died of head injuries after he fell off a trampoline while training at the Cirque du Soleil headquarters in Montreal, CBC reported.
2. Sarah Guyard-Guillot – The 31-year-old Cirque du Soleil dancer died in June 2013 after reportedly climbing a rope too quickly and falling 94 feet to her death from a vertical stage during the conclusion of a Vegas show, The Daily Mail reported. Her death marked the first onstage fatality in the Cirque du Soleil's history.
3. Olivier Rochette – A show technician who also happened to be the son of a Cirque du Soleil's co-founder, he was struck by a lift while preparing the set for a performance of “Luzia” in San Francisco in 2016, ABC News reported, and he later died from his injuries.
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