Anna Pavlova was born in St. Petersburg Russia in 1881. Her mother was not married at the time of her birth, and the identity of her father is not known. Her mother's second husband adopted her and thusly her last name is actually his. When she was little her mother took her to see a ballet, and it apparently became her life long passion. She was well known in her time for her dancing and is still an important figure in the ballet world. She was known for her interesting style, which did often violate the conventions of ballet. Her build was slightly off for ballet dancing at the time, but crowds really liked her anyway, and she became the favorite of her instructors. She is possibly best known for the role of the dying swan, which she portrayed beginning in 1905. She came down with pneumonia at the age of 49 and the doctors told her that the operation she needed would prevent her from dancing for the rest of her life. Deciding that she would rather be dead than not dancing, she refused the operation and died of pleurisy in 1939. Her remains have of course caused controversy, and no one really knows what she wanted.