Paris, France – French electronic music producer Kavinsky, born Vincent Belorgey, has died at the age of 50. He was found at his home in Paris on Tuesday evening, French authorities confirmed. An investigation into the cause of death has been opened, though prosecutors stated there were no initial signs of foul play. Kavinsky emerged as one of the defining figures of the synthwave movement, building a career around a distinctive blend of retro electronic music inspired by 1980s cinema, arcade games, and neon-soaked pop culture.
His breakthrough arrived in 2010 with the track Nightcall, a collaboration featuring Lovefoxxx of CSS. The song exploded into global consciousness after being used as the opening track for Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 thriller Drive, becoming a cult classic and introducing millions to the French producer’s cinematic sound. Before turning to music, Belorgey worked as an actor and developed close ties with filmmakers, including Quentin Dupieux. His alter ego, Kavinsky, was built around an elaborate fictional mythology of a man who returns from a fatal car crash as a supernatural figure—a persona that became central to his acclaimed 2013 debut album, OutRun.
Following a hiatus, Kavinsky returned in 2022 with his second album, Reborn, and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after performing Nightcall alongside Phoenix and Angèle during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The performance introduced his music to a new generation and reignited worldwide interest in his catalogue. Tributes have poured in, with French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard describing him as one of the country’s most distinctive musical voices, and President Emmanuel Macron praising his lasting influence on French electronic music. Across a career spanning more than two decades, Kavinsky left an unmistakable mark on electronic music, helping define the sound of modern synthwave while inspiring countless artists across film, television, and gaming.
