The performance artist Frank Uwe Laysiepen, also known as 'Ulay,' died Monday morning in Ljubljana, Slovenia, aged 76. He had been suffering from lymphatic cancer.

Ulay was once the partner of artist Marina Abramovic, perhaps best known for his collaboration with Abramovic. He met Abramovic in Amsterdam in 1976. Over the next 12 years, they became one of the most famous and groundbreaking couples in the world. In 1988, the two worked on a performance art project in China. From different starting points, the two walked about 6,000 kilometers along the Great Wall of China, slowly moving closer to each other and eventually ending their relationship when they met.

Responding to the news on Instagram and Twitter, Abramovic said: "It is with great sadness I learned about my friend and former partner Ulay's death today. He was an exceptional artist and human being, who will be deeply missed. On this day, it is comforting to know that his art and legacy will live on forever."

Ulay's studio posted a message on Facebook that read: "Ulay was incomparable. As a human being and as an artist. The gentlest soul, a giver, a pioneer, a provocateur, and activist, a mentor, a colleague, a friend, a father, a husband, family, a seeker of light, a lover of life. A traveler, a fighter, a brilliant thinker, who has been pushing limits and enduring pain. Selfless and fearless, ethical, elegant, witty. He, who has influenced so many."

Ulay's gallery, Richard Saltoun, confirmed Ulay's death with the statement: "Ulay was the freest of spirits – a pioneer and provocateur with a radically and historically unique oeuvre, operating at the intersection of photography and the conceptually oriented approaches of performance and body art. His passing leaves a momentous gap in the world – one that will not be so easily replaced."

In November 2020, a major retrospective exhibition will open at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

(Cover: Ulay [L] and Marina Abramovic [R] attend Opening Night Party of 'MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT' at Museum of Modern Art on March 9, 2010 in New York City. /VCG)