DWTS Pros Pay Heavenly Tribute to Close Friend

“Dancing With the Stars” pros Val Chmerkovskiy and his brother, Maksim, took to social media to honor one of their closest supporters, businesswoman Elaine Wynn, shortly after her April 2025 death.

Maks, who was crowned the season 18 winner of “Dancing with the Stars” in 2014, posted an Instagram video on April 20 which he captioned, “RIP dear Elaine. You were truly one of a kind. Thank you for everything and I hope you’re dancing up there.”

Dressed in a simple black graphic tee, the 45-year-old addressed the camera to say he’s a private person when it comes to grief, but he felt addressing the situation was “necessary.” He acknowledged he was “a couple days late” to respond to the loss before telling his fans, “a few days ago, there was the passing of Mrs. Elaine Wynn.” He called the 82-year-old “an important figure in my life” before commemorating the dance enthusiast’s impact with a sweet anecdote.

Maks Chmerkovskiy Thanked Elaine Wynn For Believing in Him Early On

“It was my first season of ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ It was a couple weeks in with my first ever partner on ‘DWTS,’ Tia Carrere. I remember we flew out to New Jersey to my very first ‘Dance With Me’ studio,” he recalled. “They filmed the package around me with all my couples for Tia to see the ballroom world, and most importantly Maks in coach mode.” He added, “George Hamilton was on that season. He gave me the phone and he said ‘Here, this is my friend and she wants to talk to you.’ I said, ‘Hello?'”

The ballroom pro went on to reveal the voice on the other end of the phone said, “Hi Max. My name is Elaine Wynn. Do you who I am?” Maks said he responded “no,” but he arranged to call her back and quickly got to know the philanthropist.

“When I spoke to her, she was so fond of the segment with my kids that she invited me with all my couples to put on a show for her,” he said, describing how Wynn invited him to be a part of a cancer fundraiser at Sloane Kettering in Manhattan. He said his participation in the star-studded event brought Wynn and another of her friends, “High School Musical” director Kenny Ortega, to their feet and paved the way for him to do seven corporate events with Wynn properties.

Val Chmerkovskiy Also Acknowledged Elaine Wynn’s Influence

The same day his brother shared the sentimental video message about Wynn, Val Chmerkovskiy honored the casino mogul in his Instagram Stories, per Parade’s report.

Val, who finished in second place with his partner Zendaya on season 16 of ‘DWTS,’ wrote, “RIP to a generous, brilliant woman whose love for ballroom dance (and my brother) gave me and so many of my friends life-changing opportunities and memories. I will always cherish those times and your tremendous generosity.”

Who Will Inherit Elaine Wynn’s Net Worth?

Elaine Wynn’s net worth was around $2 billion at the time of her death, according to Town & Country. She was divorced from Steve Wynn, whom she married two times. Wynn’s assets are expected to be divided among her two daughters, Kevyn and Gillian, and her seven grandchildren.