The famed Russian ballet dancer Vladimir Shklyarov has died at the age of 39.
Shklyarov is said to have fallen from a fifth-story balcony, a spokesperson revealed.
The spokesperson, Anna Kasatkina, spoke to Russian media where she told them that Shklyarov had been taking painkillers for a back injury and had been scheduled to undergo spinal surgery on Nov. 18, according to The Guardian.
Since his death, a federal investigation has been launched to figure out the circumstances behind his passing. However, investigators are claiming that the dancer's death -- "the preliminary cause" -- has been ruled an accident, RIA Novosti reported.
Shklyarov joined the renowned Mariinsky Theatre in 2003 and became its "principal dancer," which is the highest-ranking position in a ballet company.
The company has spoken out about the loss of one of their own and shared a statement about his passing.
"Our condolences to the artist's family, loved ones, friends and all the numerous admirers of his work and talent ... he forever inscribed his name in the history of world ballet," the statement reads via The Guardian.
During his storied career, the dancer starred in productions of Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote and Christopher Wheeldon's Alice in Wonderland.Additionally, he performed all over the world including stints with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the Royal Opera House in London.
He married fellow dancer Maria Shirinkina in 2013, with whom he had two children.
Shklyarov's death comes after the dancer previously criticized Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in a now-deleted Instagram post from March 2022.
"It is impossible to watch everything that is happening today without tears," he said in his post, The Guardian reports. However, he had since retained from speaking out on the war since his post to social media.
Dancer Irina Baranovskaya shed some more light on his passing, saying that Shklyarov "went out onto the balcony to get some air and smoke" and "lost his balance" on the "very narrow balcony".
More has yet to be revealed about his passing at this time.
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