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LAS VEGAS — The founder of Cirque du Soleil says his performance company, renowned for extravagant shows that challenge the boundaries of the body and the stage, is “completely devastated” after an acrobat fell to her death over the weekend, with the audience watching.

It was the first stage casualty in the company’s 29-year history, according to Cirque spokeswoman Renee-Claude Menard.

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Coroner’s officials said French-born Sarah Guillot-Guyard, 31, was pronounced dead at a Las Vegas hospital late Saturday after falling about 50 feet (15 metres) from the stage during a production of “Ka.” The show has been suspended.

“I am heartbroken,” Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte said in a statement. “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.”

Witnesses told the Las Vegas Sun newspaper that the accident occurred during a fight scene near the end of the production, which combines acrobatics with martial arts and puppetry and tells the story of twins on a heroic quest.