‘Big baby’ from Cirque’s ‘Mystere’ dies

Francois Dupuis, a Cirque du Soleil performer who entertained millions of "Mystere" showgoers as the "big baby" in the diaper and bonnet has died, the company announced.

Dupuis was an original cast member of "Mystere," which opened in late 1993 and in March celebrated 18 years and 8,600 performances. He apparently died in his sleep several days ago.

The Canadian was one of the show's most memorable performers, singling out an audience member at each performance to be his "mama" and performing a comic routine from a perch high above the stage.

Daniel Lamarre, Cirque's president and CEO, said Tuesday the loss of Dupuis was felt throughout the company. "We're such a family now in Las Vegas," he said. "Everybody knows everybody. It doesn't matter which show you're on."

Dupuis' daughter is a stage manager for the new Cirque show "Zarkana" and his son is a stage manager for one of the company's touring shows.