Frank Uwe Laysiepen, better known as Ulay, died today at the age of 76 in his adopted home of Lljubljana, Slovenia. The cause of his death is still unknown, however, it was known that he was recovering from cancer of the lymphatic system.

Performancer, photographer and body artist, Ulay rose to fame after an extensive collaboration with his colleague and ex-girlfriend, Marina Abramovic. The couple was well known for a series of performances called “Relations Works”, in which they studied the bonds of their relationship through extreme situations such as yelling at each other, weaving their hair or holding gazes for long periods of time without exchanging words. Their relationship and period of collaboration ended with an emotional performance on the Chinese wall in 1988 in which they walked along the wall from opposite points until they met and said goodbye.

In 2011, Ulay and Marina were again in the news when the documentary for the exhibition “The Artist is Present” was filmed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. In the documentary you can see Marina in tears when she saw Ulay sitting in front of her during a performance in which they had to hold her gaze. The emotional moment has been viewed 17.3 million times on YouTube.

“It is with great sadness that I have been informed that my friend and ex-partner, Ulay, has passed away today,” Marina revealed to Artnet News. “He was an exceptional artist and human being, who will be missed by all of us who knew him. On a day like this, it is comforting to know that his art and legacy will live on forever.”

With information from Artnet News.