French DJ Kavinsky, 50, whose real name is Vincent Belorgey, has been found dead in his Paris home. This was confirmed by French media such as Le Figaro and Le Parisien this Wednesday. The body was found lifeless on Tuesday night at his residence and, according to the same sources, the hypothesis that he suffered a stroke is being studied, as he had experienced headaches in the preceding days. A figure in electronic music in France, he is the author of the famous song Nightcall, released in 2010, which was part of the soundtrack of the film Drive, starring Ryan Gosling. A globally impactful track that was played at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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With more than four million monthly listeners on Spotify, his great song, Nightcall, has over five hundred million plays on this music platform. Kavinsky is a musician, DJ, producer, and actor born in 1975 in Seine-Saint-Denis with an important role within the synthwave style, which is inspired by soundtracks from 1980s movies and video games. In fact, the title of his 2013 album, OutRun, is also one of the names by which this genre is known. His long-awaited debut album reached number two on the list of best-selling albums in France. After a long hiatus, he returned in 2022 with his second studio album, Reborn.
“With the sudden passing of Kavinsky, France loses one of its most unique voices. The whole world resonated with Nightcall. Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to cross generations and borders,” published French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard this Wednesday.
Avec la disparition soudaine de Kavinsky, la France perd l’une de ses voix les plus singulières. Du film Drive aux JO de Paris, le monde entier avait vibré sur « Nightcall ». À la fois dansante et nostalgique, sa musique continuera de traverser les générations et les frontières. pic.twitter.com/jnwzU1bL6o
— Catherine Pégard (@catherinepegard) July 29, 2026
His Spotify profile states that the character of Kavinsky often appears represented as an illustration, as on the covers of the EPs Teddy Boy and 1986, and bears a strong resemblance to Belorgey himself. However, they detail, the story the artist created for his pseudonym is very far from his true and discreet biography. According to that fictional story, after crashing his Ferrari Testarossa in 1986, Kavinsky reappeared in 2006 as a zombie to make electronic music. Fortunately for Belorgey, this narrative worked perfectly as a concept for a music video, something he demonstrated with his first single, Testarossa Overdrive. The DJ has toured with renowned artists from his country such as Daft Punk, Justice, and SebastiAn, who are also behind his best-known song, Nightcall, which features the voice of Lovefoxxx, the lead singer of the band Cansei de Ser Sexy.