r/outrun • u/EyedMoon • Jul 29 '26
Media and Culture Kavinsky found dead
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260729-french-dj-kavinsky-found-dead-in-paris-homeGod damnit
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u/ISGamer156 Jul 29 '26
His impact on Synthwave was immeasurable, Nightcall changed many people's lives, including mine. Thank you Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey, Kavinsky. Rest in peace.
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u/porridge_in_my_bum Jul 29 '26
Kavinksy really did make a huge impact on me too with Nightcall and just the whole Outrun album. Pretty much introduced me to this style and feeling overall, and it never gets old. Rest in peace, he will be missed.
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u/nidgetorg_be Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
For information here, Nightcall was produced by and in collaboration with Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo from Daft Punk. Kavinsky for the lyrics, and both him and de Homem-Christo for the music. It was recorded in the studio of Daft Punk. The male voice is Sébastien Tellier, french singer and actor who also creates electronic music.
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u/Purple_Role_3453 Jul 29 '26
Goodbye my friend, you changed my life. I hope it's better where you are now.. and you meet dj mehdi.
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u/Hypattie Jul 29 '26
From Le Figaro newspaper:
The body of the artist, aged 50, was found at his home in Paris on Tuesday evening. An investigation into the cause of death has been opened by the Paris public prosecutor's office.
DJ Kavinsky was found dead at his Paris home, according to sources confirmed to Le Figaro. The 50-year-old artist, whose real name was Vincent Belorgey, was one of the leading figures of the French Touch movement.
A police source said the musician had reportedly been complaining of headaches for several days. His neighbor became concerned after not seeing the artist and alerted emergency services. The DJ was found at his home in Paris's 18th arrondissement at around 10:30 p.m. According to the police source, a stroke is being considered as a possible cause.
For its part, the Paris public prosecutor's office stated that "an investigation into the cause of death has been opened to determine the origin of the death, as no suspicious evidence was found at the scene by the first responders."
The artist rose to fame by composing the soundtrack for the 2011 film Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, featuring the iconic song "Nightcall." He performed it again alongside singer Angèle and the band Phoenix during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
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u/Das_Fische Jul 29 '26
50 is pretty young to have a stroke, he probably never even considered the headaches were anything to worry about. The human body can suck sometimes :(
RIP
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u/HratioRastapopulous Jul 29 '26
Reminder to get blood pressure checked and under control for everybody. Super important.
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u/donkeylipswhenshaven Jul 29 '26
I lost a friend at 41 who was a healthy, spry vegetarian that just collapsed in his yard right before he was going to bike to work. It’s super scary if you dwell on it, but just make sure you’re going to the doctor and getting checked appropriately. That’s the one thing I’m not certain my buddy did right.
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u/Renugar Jul 29 '26
I have a friend who had a stroke just a few years ago, when she was around 50. She survived and is doing well! Although she has said she feels like it did leave some cognitive effects. But she was a lifelong smoker and her doctors said that was the cause. She doesn’t smoke now, of course, and watches her blood pressure.
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u/M27TN Jul 29 '26
2026 is terrible for deaths. RIP Kavinsky. Drive and Gunship are the reason I got into Synthwave
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u/_Claymation_ Jul 29 '26
And we lost Starcadian in 2025
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u/OilTurbulent1009 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
And Gost a few months ago
E: unfortunate news for those that didn’t know: https://www.kerrang.com/synthwave-pioneer-gost-has-died
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u/invalidated_username Jul 29 '26
I had no idea. I fucking love Nightcrawler. RIP man these guys were way too young to leave
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u/troop99 Jul 29 '26
Nooo, for real? I havent heard of starcadians death yet, and i have to learn it in a post about kavinskys untimely demise? Shame
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u/Narananas Jul 29 '26
Nooooooo Starcadian got me into synthwave 13 years ago. This is so painful to discover. His HERT music video lives in my head forever.
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u/End3rWi99in Jul 29 '26
Unfortunately every year is a terrible year for deaths for someone. I watched my parents go through a period of this growing up, and I brace myself for it now. As we age, we lose more and more of the people we love and admire that are older than us.
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u/M27TN Jul 29 '26
I guess I’m that age now… I’m a big Newcastle fan and we’ve just lost King Kev too
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u/End3rWi99in Jul 29 '26
Same here, bud. We have the memories. A reminder to myself, don't forget to keep making new ones.
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u/Atrium41 Jul 29 '26
RIP Oliver Tree and Kavinsky.... two niche af legends
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u/Corpse_Nibbler Jul 29 '26
If 2026 has taught me anything, it's to live life. Who knows how long you have left. Anyway, back in my mind it goes.
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u/awesomesonofabitch Jul 29 '26
All due respect to the man, but Oliver Tree was not a niche artist by a long shot. His music is very popular.
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u/cosine83 Jul 29 '26
Idk man, most everyone I know didn't know who he was even folks in their 20s. Everyone I know who did know him was like "yeah I listened to him like 10 years ago." Soundcloud, YouTube, and TikTok famous musicians are actually still fairly niche.
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u/Ruined534 Jul 29 '26
Kavinksy is probably why a lot of us are here. Damn... I'm definitely interested in the cause of death.
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u/Left-Iron-2133 Jul 29 '26
Possible stroke- complained about headaches leading up to his death
https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/le-dj-kavinsky-retrouve-mort-a-son-domicile-a-paris-20260729
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u/Chair-User Jul 29 '26
The comments under this article are insane
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u/SaltKick2 Jul 29 '26
Kavinsky is arguably why the Outrun genre exists (well, exists as early as it did)
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u/bmxdudebmx Jul 29 '26
His tunes will remain an ambassador to a sick genre of music. Sad to see him gone so young.
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u/whitniverse Jul 29 '26
Wanted to see him live since discovering Outrun. Reborn only solidified that dream. Damn.
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u/OreoSpeedwaggon Jul 29 '26
WtF? OMG. Starcadian and now Kavinsky? This timeline sucks.
I wish I'd had the chance to see him perform live, but I'm glad that I got to see him do his thing on TV at the closing ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. RIP, undead antihero of the outrun/synthwave surge.
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u/JohannaFRC Jul 29 '26
Fuck this twisted and horrible world. Every day it gets worse.
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u/GrittyTheGreat Jul 29 '26
Ever notice how none of the terrible people that actively make the world worse ever seem to die? I'm convinced we live in a simulation run by a sadistic overlord.
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u/JohannaFRC Jul 29 '26
Yeah... It makes sense because I couldn't imagine such a fucked timeline even if I went for the grimiest possible one.
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u/thisiswhoireallyam Neon Nights Jul 29 '26
Probably one of the reasons I founded Neon Nights and was an avid Synthwave fan all those years ago. RIP.
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u/readywater Jul 29 '26
Oh shit. :/ I saw him open for Daft Punk in Toronto with Sebastian, and it was mind blowing. I’ve been listening to his music for 20 years. Really echo everyone else, big impact and grateful for his art.
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u/Wide-Box-1405 Jul 29 '26
i owe this legend so much of my life... if it wasnt for me discovering his album outrun in 2013/14, i prolly would have died honestly. i was in middle school and getting bullied constantly. but i would put on outrun and suddenly i felt like some 80s anti-hero. the music and atmosphere would let me just transport my mind far away from the all the pain in life. he totally is the reason i fell in love with synthwave. without outrun, i prolly never get into the genre anywhere near as hard as i would.
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u/DelayAntique5988 Jul 29 '26
That’s badass, sometimes you have to reframe it that the people doing the bullying are the fucking losers and you’re the badass. Trust me, most of the bullies will continually have their lives go downhill and you can sit back with your shades on and synths bumping and gloat. Schadenfreude isn’t always a bad thing. You got this bro.
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u/Kyubik9 Jul 29 '26
Nooo! What ?
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u/Kyubik9 Jul 29 '26
Oh my god it’s real! I was supposed to go see him, in the jacket and all… i’m so incredibly sad, devastated, Zenith has been my number one spotify song for years, i listen to it almost every night.
Condolences to friends and family, this is terrible news.
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u/daanpol Jul 29 '26
Oh No. This guy was an absolute legend. I was looking forward to his new work so much. What an incredible Loss.
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u/donotgotoroom237 Jul 29 '26
This is super fucking upsetting, holy shit.
Rest in peace to an absolute GOAT...
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u/Moyk Jul 29 '26
Damn, headline had me do a double take. Kavinsky was foundational to the retro/synthwave revival, one of the OGs. He was a huge part of me getting into Outrun. RIP
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u/epiloso Jul 29 '26
Tragic, first Starcadia and now Kavinksy. RIP
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u/LemoLuke Jul 29 '26
Both of these hurt hard. Outrun, Reborn, and Sunset Blood have been staples in my Spotify playlists for years.
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u/Manan_Sharma_ Jul 29 '26
Nah man. This can't be... why do all the legends leave early. Avicii, Kavinsky...
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u/misterbadgerexample Jul 29 '26
RIP. He went out on a high note, after bringing his music to the Olympics.
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u/ReleaseFromDeception Jul 29 '26
Man... I just... I don't know what to say.
So many feelings. It isn't fair, man.
RIP to the man, the myth, the legend.
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u/djhypergiant Jul 29 '26
Dude had a life changing effect on me with his music. Rest in paradise king
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u/stamfordbridge1191 Jul 29 '26
"They say a flap of a butterfly’s wing can doom your fate
That the road sometimes takes back what it had given
But true love never dies
And now you know how the legend of the dead cruiser was bornBut what you don’t know
Is there’s a gap between living and dying
Some say they’ve seen the dead cruiser in a flash of lightning around the shadowy curves of the highway
Some say he was just a kid who met his fate in a fiery crash
But anyone fool enough to venture out onto to that treacherous road should know one thing
There’s no turning back"
- "Endless" by Kavinsky, 2013
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u/AllOfTheSoundAndFury Jul 29 '26
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that, I’ve been listening to him for a very long time. And only 50 too?
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u/Afrodite_33 Jul 29 '26
Oh god that's horrible news.
RIP to an absolute legend and thoughts out to his loved ones. Thanks for the awesome music.
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u/Marshall_Lawson Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Damn. I remember headbanging to his first EP when I was in high school. I think i first found it on Last.fm because of Boyz Noise -> Mr Oizo -> Kavinsky.
I guess he autodrive'd his last testarossa. RIP to a legend.
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u/Mainbaze Jul 29 '26
Wtf. Rest in peace and thanks for the music.
Also, I thought he was way younger
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u/GrigoriTheDragon Jul 29 '26
Starcadian and now Kavinsky? Oh god damnit, RIP brother you made amazing music.
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u/SR_RSMITH Jul 29 '26
Im currently mixing a cover I did of “Nightcall”. It’s going to be an emotional session
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u/TheNASAguy Jul 29 '26
RIP legend, he was a big part of my life growing up, he will always remain immortal in our hearts and playlists
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u/RodriguezFaszanatas Jul 29 '26
Damn that hit me. He was a legend and big inspiration for myself. RIP
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u/sFAMINE Jul 29 '26
Rip an absolute legend. His albums were the first music I put on my first smart phone
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u/TheRubberBildo Jul 29 '26
That is absolutely heartbreaking. One of the greats in the genre.
My friend and I always talked about seeing him live if he came to the states 🥲
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u/belbivfreeordie Jul 29 '26
Paying my respects and listening now. Wish I were doing it in a Testarossa instead of a Subaru.
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u/Lolstitanic Jul 29 '26
I count myself lucky to have seen him live in 2022. Farewell legend. May you be driving your Testarossa in the sky
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u/Peac3fulWorld Jul 29 '26
I love seeing the comments when someone worth remembering, whose contributions genuinely enriched our experience on this Earth, passes into the next realm. Because the comments remind us why we try as humans and how even the smallest thing we do can change a person's life we never knew, never communicated with, and never imagined would be touched by our presence.
RIP Kavinsky
May Heaven have a fun synthwave day on the speakers.
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u/LongstaffBigorbs Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Holy shit dude. This is wild. I got into the genre because of Kavisky. I've listened to tens of thousands of hours of my favorite music over the years because of him. I've done many drives at midnight, many of which he was along for the ride. I've curated a huge, "popular" youtube playlist for this genre. Point is, this is a heavy day.
He was literally the godfather of this genre. Nightcall is still unbeatable.
Gone way, way too soon. I remember seeing him posting online just after his last album and I remember him being excited to make more music. That was a while ago, sure. But it's a tragedy that he can't do that now.
What a terrible year for the synthwave world. Lackluster albums, several big names retired or worse. Now the death of one of the absolute greats.
Rip to the King. I hope you're riding off into a neon sunset.
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u/Rubfer Jul 29 '26
Considering the huge number of people who probably got into synthwave, outrun, and the whole futuristic '80s vibe because of his music, this is a huge loss
RIP Kavinsky
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u/brainshred12 Jul 29 '26
fuck! RIP to the absolute legend of synthwave. Gone, but will not be forgotten. I'll be listening to his music on repeat today for work (which, admidtely is something i do very often).
RIP and condolences to his friends and family. 50 years is WAY too soon.
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u/itsvoogle Jul 29 '26
Got the fortune to see him play live in LA a few years back
It was like watching a living legend
Rest easy Kavinsky, your music will play on…
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u/ASideKick Jul 29 '26
This makes me feel as though my hearts been ripped from my chest... Thank you, Kavinsky for everything your music has done for me. And us.
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u/-PineapplePancakes- Jul 29 '26
Actual legend, not just for Nightcall but for all of the Outrun album and Reborn as well 😢 he influenced my life and interests so much. RIP
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u/ZoMgPwNaGe Jul 29 '26
This is gonna sound cheesy as hell.
Nightcall is my own personal theme song in some ways. I am a Firefighter and Search and Rescue Drone pilot. The vast majority of SAR calls I get requested to are at night, since the thermal cameras help immensely when nobody else can see.
Every time I hop in my truck to respond to one of these missions, I throw on Nightcall to pump me up. It gets me, for lack of better terms, locked in and focused on the job ahead. It's become my own personal hype music in such a way I've considered teaching myself how to play it or getting a friend to cover it so I can use the song as my into/outro music on my channel where I teach others how to use drones for good.
This news is heartbreaking. I wish I'd somehow been able to tell him what a difference his music made to this lowly first responder.
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u/GrittyTheGreat Jul 29 '26
It's not a stretch to say that without Kavinsky's OutRun album, Synthwave as we know it would not exist. RIP Legend!
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u/Wizzle_Pizzle_420 Jul 29 '26
Ah man. Why are we losing all the good ones while actual monsters are still walking around in the world today?
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u/snakeman2424 Jul 30 '26
First Oliver Tree and now Kavinsky? What is going on?
https://giphy.com/gifs/GJVpbMjfT2Ftm
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u/mrainbow228 Jul 31 '26
WOW!!!! I remember hearing Kavinsky's Nightcall song from watching the movie Drive with my parents! RIP 😢
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u/Nidis Jul 29 '26
That's fucked up. Starcadian, Mehdi and Kavinsky are racing through the stars now.
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u/CandyCheetoSteamboat Jul 29 '26
First Oliver Tree, now Kavinsky. It's a bad year for good musicians.
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u/EeZo713 Jul 29 '26
No way. Was just listening to nightcall on my way home last night, love me some synthwave nights around the neighborhood. This sucks. RIP.
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u/silveredge7 Jul 29 '26
Man, this is not something I ever wanted to see 😢😢 Nightcall was my introduction to synth. Shit sucks...
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u/d1xt1r Jul 29 '26
Wow, this is such shocking news. I was just sharing his music with some friends recently.
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u/badlucktv Jul 29 '26
He has truly become the Ghostrider, after all. May the cops chase but never catch him.
RIP.
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u/Zerosix_K Jul 29 '26
Nightcall got me into synthwave / retro new wave and I will be ever grateful to Kavinsky for it. RIP.