French musician Vincent Belorgey – better known as DJ Kavinsky – has died aged 50 at his home in Paris.
The electropop legend was best known for his song Nightcall, which featured as the title track for 2011’s Drive, starring Ryan Gosling.
He performed the track at the 2024 Olympic Games closing ceremony, alongside Belgian singer Angèle.
‘An inquiry into the cause of death has been opened to determine the circumstances of the death,’ the Paris prosecutor’s office has said.
They added that first responders had found ‘no suspicious elements at the scene’.
His debut studio album, OutRun, was released in 2013 after huge anticipation, having dropped several popular EPs in the 00s.
In a rare interview with MixMag in 2022, he admitted the success of that first album left him feeling ‘a bit of pressure’.
Belorgey was often compared to other house artists such as Danger and Daft Punk, who he also worked with and toured with in 2007.
The overwhelming success of Nightcall actually ended up pushing him away from music, taking a nine-year hiatus before releasing his second album Reborn.
‘I don’t feel that much pressure anymore, I’m way too old!’ he said in the interview. ‘I want people to talk to me about something other than ‘Nightcall’ now, even though Drive was a huge help for me and I still thank the director for including my music in it.’
Belorgey remained an incredibly private person throughout his life, with Kavinsky actually a character he’d made up for the stage.
‘Kavinsky is a character I created because just putting my face on a record sleeve isn’t something that suits me,’ he said in 2007.
‘Showing my own face holds absolutely no interest for me. I’d much rather make music and tell a story.’