Liam Scarlett has died

We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of English choreographer, Liam Scarlett. He has died at his home in Ipswich, England, on Friday. He was 35 years old. A cause of death has not been given.

Scarlett was one of this generation's most sought-after classical choreographers with a stellar career until he was accused of sexual misconduct early in 2020, after which he disappeared from public life.

Scarlett was the Royal Ballet’s artist in residence. He was also appointed artistic associate of the Queensland Ballet in 2017, and that company performed a number of his works to great acclaim.

The accusations involved students at the Royal Ballet School, though an independent investigation concluded there “were no matters to pursue”. Nonetheless, most companies withdrew their commissions and his works from their repertoire. See our original article on the matter here.

The news of his death has been met with an outpouring of grief and frustration. Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky: "How many amazing ballets he could have created yet . . . Liam knew he had no future as a choreographer. That killed him."

Tamara Rojo, artistic director of the English National Ballet: "The world is a much darker, uglier, nastier place without you in it."

Dance Australia extends our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.