British dancer and choreographer Liam Scarlett, considered a star of the Royal Ballet before being accused of sexual harassment, died suddenly this Saturday at the age of 35, according to his family in a statement that does not clarify the cause of death:
“At this difficult time for all of our family, we would ask that you respect our privacy to enable us to grieve our loss.”
Scarlett danced for the Royal Ballet from 2006 to 2012, before retiring as a dancer. The institution then offered him the position of artist-in-residence. Considered a child prodigy of British ballet, he later had a dazzling career as a choreographer with a notable version of Swan Lake in 2018 and was internationally renowned.
Liam Scarlett, famous and infamous
However, his stardom has been clouded over the past few years.
In the summer of 2019 he was suspended from the Royal Ballet after being investigated for sexual harassment. Several of his students accused him of touching them while they changed clothes and even coercing them through social networks to send him intimate photographs.
Although in March of 2020 the company ultimately decided that there was nothing further to pursue, they completely severed their relationship with the choreographer and cancelled all productions of his works.
Featured Photo of Liam Scarlett captured from this video
