Kavinsky, French DJ Behind Iconic 'Nightcall', Has Died at 50

Kavinsky, real name Vincent Belorgey, the French producer whose track 'Nightcall' became one of the most recognisable pieces of modern electronic music, has died at the age of 50.

He was found at his Paris home on the evening of 29 July 2026, as first reported by Le Parisien. The Paris prosecutor's office opened an inquiry and found no suspicious elements at the scene; a cause of death has not been determined.

The sound of a generation

Kavinsky built an entire aesthetic. 'Nightcall' (2010) exploded into global consciousness a year later as the opening theme to Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Drive', starring Ryan Gosling — a pairing so complete that the song and the film became inseparable. His debut album 'OutRun' (2013) fused synthwave and French house into a neon-lit, retro-futurist world that a whole generation of producers would go on to build from.

He returned with a second album, 'Reborn', in 2022, and performed 'Nightcall' at the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony alongside Phoenix and Angèle — a full-circle moment for French electronic music on the world stage.

Tributes

Tributes have poured in across the French Touch scene and the wider electronic world. Kavinsky's influence sits deep in the visual and sonic language of synthwave, and 'Nightcall' remains one of the genre's defining statements — a record that outgrew the dancefloor and lodged itself in pop culture for good.

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Photo via Kavinsky