Moscow, Feb 19 (UNI) Russia's world famous Bolshoi Theatre's legendary ballerina Natalia Bessmertnova has passed away at the age of 66.

She was seriously ill for a long time.

The press service of the Bolshoi told Itar-Tass that Bessmertnova (her surname, which in Russian means 'immortal') worked for 50 years in the Bolshoi Theatre.

She joined the leading ballet masters of the theatre when she was young and played her leading parts in their shows.

Bessmertnova was born in Moscow in 1941. Between 1961 and 1995, she was a prima ballerina at the theater in the Russian capital.

She danced main parts in ballets staged by her husband Yury Grigorovich, the former chief choreographer of Bolshoi, including Romeo and Juliet, The Love Legend, Ivan the Terrible, The Golden Age.

One of her most memorable roles at the Bolshoi was as Giselle in the ballet of the same name.

After leaving the stage, Bessmertnova, coached young dancers.

She was the People's Artiste of the USSR and a laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes.

She also received the Anna Pavlova prize in Paris.

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