Staff Writer
Cirque du Soleil performer, Sarah “Sassoon” Guyard-Guillot, passed away after an approximate 50-foot free-fall during a performance of KÀ in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Entertainment Weekly was able to confirm with the Clark County Coroner’s Office that the 31-year-old performer and mother of two was pronounced dead at 11:43 p.m. Saturday evening.
As reported by the Las Vegas Sun, members of the audience witnessed the native Parisian fall from her safety cable after an ascent from a set piece during KÀ’s thrilling Final Battle scene. Guyard-Guillot’s accident marks the first public death in the show’s 30-year history.
This is the second incident of its kind to occur this week in Vegas. A performer in Michael Jackson: ONE suffered a concussion after slipping from his rope and missing a protective landing pad at Mandalay Bay’s Wednesday show.
Immediately after Guyard-Guillot’s fall, audience members were evacuated out of the MGM Grand showroom. They were offered tickets for future shows and/or refunds. KÀ’sfuture is unclear at the moment, but all scheduled shows have been cancelled indefinitely while Cirque du Soleil cooperates with authorities in an investigation concerning Guyard-Guillot’s death.
The founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, said: “I am heartbroken. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family. We are all completely devastated with this news. Sassoon was an artist with the original cast of KÀ since 2006. She 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.”
We, at PopWrapped, would like to extend our condolences and sympathies to Guyard-Guillot’s family at this difficult time.
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