French electronic DJ and producer Kavinsky, real name Vincent Belorgey, was found dead in his Paris home on July 28, 2026. Official reports indicate he died of a stroke, and neighbors said he was complaining of frequent headaches in the days before his death. Belorgey was 50 years old.
Parisian authorities searched his home, but found “no suspicious elements” to warrant further investigation. French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Belorgey with a post on Facebook. He called the DJ’s legacy “forever a source of French pride.”
Kavinsky rose to prominence in the French electronic scene shaped by Daft Punk in the 90s, finding success in the mid-2000s. His biggest hit was the trippy “Nightcall” from 2010, then featured in the opening sequence of the 2011 film Drive. He was a cohort of other French electronic artists like Justice and SebastiAn. They built off of Daft Punk’s 90s pioneering to create a uniquely 2000s-era style.
Kavinsky Was Beloved by the French for His 80s Nostalgia and Electronic Innovation
Kavinsky was a beloved figure in French EDM. He performed “Nightcall” at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, representing a small part of his home country’s diverse artistic endeavors. While “Nightcall” initially broke the French Top 10 when it debuted, the Olympics version hit No. 3 on the chart.
The essence of Kavinsky’s work pulled heavily from 1980s darkwave synth. His album narratives often featured Kavinsky as an alter-ego who comes back as a zombie in the 2000s after crashing a Ferrari Testarossa in the 80s. The menacing, prowling, yet strangely romantic elements of “Nightcall” represented his rich aesthetic well.
“Everyone says, that guy is stuck in the past!” he told Don’t Panic London in 2013. “I don’t sit around missing things from older times—I’m just from the 80s, and so my influences come from that period. That is what is in my veins.”
The French culture minister, Catherine Pégard, also paid tribute in a statement, per The Guardian. “France loses one of its most singular voices,” said Pégard. “From the film Drive to the Paris Olympics, the entire world had pulsed to ‘Nightcall’. Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to resonate across generations and borders.”
Photo by Foc Kan/WireImage
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