New releases, music videos and album news — indie, rap, rock and pop. Always covering Ren, Chris Webby, Sam Tompkins, bbno$, CHINCHILLA, Muse, Yungblud and more.
French DJ and producer Kavinsky dies at 50 after suspected stroke
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
Kavinsky, the French DJ, producer and actor best known for the track "Nightcall" from the film Drive, has died at the age of 50. He was found dead at his home in Paris on Tuesday, with local authorities investigating the cause; the BBC reports he had been suffering from headaches beforehand and officials believe he may have had a stroke. His death has prompted tributes from senior French political figures, including President Emmanuel Macron and culture minister Catherine Pégard, reflecting his standing as a significant cultural figure in France.
Born Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey, Kavinsky began as an actor in the early 2000s, appearing in Quentin Dupieux's 2007 film Steak, before building a music career during the blog-house era under a self-created "zombie" persona inspired by 1980s film soundtracks. He released his debut EP Teddy Boy in 2006, opened for Daft Punk, and in 2010 released "Nightcall" with CSS singer Lovefoxxx, which became a top-10 hit in France after featuring in Drive. His debut album OutRun followed in 2013, and after a long hiatus he returned with 2022's Reborn; in 2024 he performed "Nightcall" at the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony alongside Phoenix and Angèle, a viral performance that sent the track back into the French top three.
- Sources
- 2
- Outlets
- 2
- Left · Centre · Right
- 0 · 0 · 0
In short
- French DJ Kavinsky, known for "Nightcall" from Drive, has died aged 50.
- Found dead in Paris; a stroke is suspected after reported headaches.
- His 2024 Olympics performance had recently revived "Nightcall" as a hit.
How this story developed
- 4 months ago The account was pared down to a tighter tribute focus, dropping the earlier mention of culture minister Catherine Pégard's name from the opening tributes and reordering the biography to fold Macron and Pégard's remarks in at the close instead.
- 4 months ago French DJ and producer Kavinsky, known for "Nightcall," was confirmed dead at 50 at his Paris home, with authorities suspecting a stroke after reported headaches and tributes arriving from figures including President Macron.
Explained simply
Kavinsky is the stage name of Vincent Belorgey, a French musician and producer who came to wider fame through the song "Nightcall", which featured on the soundtrack of the 2011 film Drive. He worked in electronic dance music during the mid-2000s "blog-house" scene, performing under a distinctive fictional "zombie" character influenced by 1980s film scores, and had links to other well-known French acts such as Daft Punk.
Although he released only a handful of records over two decades, his music found a much bigger audience than usual for the genre, helped by "Nightcall" being used repeatedly in films, adverts and other media over the years, including a widely shared performance at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. This gave him a lasting profile in French culture beyond the dance music world he started in.
He has died at the age of 50, with early reports suggesting a stroke may have been the cause. His death has drawn public statements from senior figures in French politics and culture, reflecting the wider recognition he had gained in France.
Coverage · 2 sources
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Stereogum as “Kavinsky Dead At 50”.