Cirque du Soleil Performer Dies After Accident in Las Vegas

Isaac Brekken for The New York Times A performance of “Ka” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

A performer in a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas died after an accident in which she appeared to have slipped out of her safety wire and fell some 50 feet. The troupe said in a statement that the performer, Sarah (Sassoon) Guyard, died on Saturday night following the accident.

The Las Vegas Sun said that the performer, whose name was given in its report as Sarah Guyard-Guillot, was born in Paris and had trained for 22 years s an acrobat.

At a Saturday-evening performance of the Cirque du Soleil show “Ka,” which is presented at the MGM Grand hotel, audience members said they saw Ms. Guyard fall during the show’s closing number.

Dan Mosqueda, who witnessed the accident, told The Sun that Ms. Guyard “was being hoisted up the side of the stage and then just plummeted down” into a pit that audience members could not see.

He added: “Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the choreographed fight. But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage.”

Cirque du Soleil said in a statement on its Facebook page, “The entire Cirque du Soleil family is deeply saddened by the accidental death of Sarah (Sassoon) Guyard, artist on th! e production ‘Ka,’ that happened on Saturday, June 29th, in Las Vegas. The artist’s immediate family has been informed of the accident. Our thoughts are with her family and the entire Cirque du Soleil family.”

Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil, said in a statement: “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 ‘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.”

Cirque du Soleil said that it was “working with the appropriate authorities” and had offered its “full cooperation.” The troupe said that additional performances of “Ka” would be canceled “until further notice.” Its statement concluded, “Cirque du Soleil kindly asks the media reprsentatives to respect our time of mourning as a Company.”