Kavinsky, the French DJ who was best known for his 2010 hit single “Nightcall,” died on Tuesday, July 28, three days before his birthday. He was 50.
Kavinsky (real name Vincent Belorgey) was found dead in his Paris home, the prosecutor’s office in the French capital told Reuters on Wednesday, July 29.
“An inquiry into the cause of death has been opened to determine the circumstances of the death, as first responders found no suspicious elements at the scene,” the office said in a statement to the news agency.
France’s Minister of Culture, Catherine Pégard, also confirmed the news, writing via X on Wednesday, “With the sudden death of Kavinsky, France loses one of its most singular voices. … Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to resonate across generations and borders.”
The Weeknd, who worked with Kavinsky on the 2013 song “Odd Look,” was among the first of many A-list collaborators to publicly pay tribute to the electropop producer after his untimely death.
“So heartbreaking to hear the news. An inspiration to so many, including myself,” The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) wrote via X. “I will continue to honor your name and your music. Rest easy Kavinsky.”
Kavinsky Thibaud Moritz/AFP via Getty Images
Born in Seine-Saint-Denis, France, on July 31, 1975, Kavinsky acted in several local films in the 2000s before finding international success with his 1980s-inspired music, which he said had been inspired by the movies that he watched as a child.
Kavinsky’s biggest hit, “Nightcall,” was memorably featured in the opening credits of Ryan Gosling‘s 2011 action drama Drive. He performed the synthy song during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris alongside Belgian singer Angèle and French indie band Phoenix. The trio of artists later released a studio version of their collaboration.
“From the film Drive to the Paris Olympics, the entire world had pulsed to ‘Nightcall,’” Pégard noted in her X post on Wednesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke out about Kavinsky’s death via social media, calling the DJ a source of “French pride forever.”
In addition to The Weeknd, Kavinsky was a major inspiration to Lady Gaga, who incorporated “Nightcall” into a futuristic remix of her and Bruno Mars‘ smash 2024 duet, “Die With a Smile,” during her Mayhem Requiem concert on Apple Music Live earlier this year.
“I wanted to infuse [the show] with influence from musicians and artists I really have admired and been inspired by my whole career,” Gaga wrote via Instagram in May. “@kavinsky was one of my big influences for a lot of albums, and I wanted to flip ‘Die With A Smile’ harnessing ‘Nightcall’ with a French electronic energy and relentless arpeggio that would ground it with more dystopian tension and maybe even a fear of the unknown of the future—contrasted with the joy of a new version of the songs original melody and finding the love and hope through the music.”
