Obituary: Jean-Pierre Bonnefou- former Paris Opera Ballet Étoile

L'Opéra national de Paris and the Charlotte Ballet announced the passing of former Paris Opera Ballet Étoile Jean-Pierre Bonnefou. He was 82 years old.

The Charlotte Ballet said Nonnefou passed away on 13th April 2025 due to heart failure.

Bonnefou was born in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, and joined Paris Opera Ballet 1959 after graduating from l'École de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris. He was promoted to Étoile in 1965 at the age of 21.

In 1970, George Balanchine hired him as a principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, where he danced until his retirement from the stage in 1980. His wife was the legendary ballerina Patricia McBride.

Bonnefoux and McBride moved to Charlotte in North Carolina, in the United States, in 1996 to lead the North Carolina Dance Theatre, which was rebranded as the Charlotte Ballet in 2014. Bonnefoux was the third artistic director of the company, serving in that role until 2017.

McBride continues to teach Charlotte Ballet Academy students.

Here is the YouTube clip of Bonnefous as Albrecht in Giselle with Christiane Vlassi as Giselle. I am not sure in what year this was originally recorded.