French coreographer Maurice Bejart died in Switzerland on Thursday, at the age of 80, representatives of the Lausanne Ballet have announced, quoted by AFP. They said Bejart passed away during the night but did not specify the cause of death.

The artist had been hospitalized at the Lausanne university hospital with kidney and heart complications last weekend.

Bejart has managed the Lausanne Ballet bearing his name for more than 20 years. He moved the company from Paris to Brussels and then to Lausanne.

He was born in Marseille on January 1, 1927.