Kavinsky, French DJ Behind 'Nightcall' From 'Drive,' Dies at 50

PARIS — Kavinsky, the French electro-pop composer whose haunting track "Nightcall" set the musical tone for the movie "Drive," starring Ryan Gosling, has died. He was 50.

The performer, whose real name was Vincent Belorgey, was found dead at his home on Tuesday evening, the Paris prosecutor's office said. It said an investigation has been opened into the cause of death, but that first responders did not regard it as suspicious.

Tributes came quickly from the French government. Culture Minister Catherine Pégard described the performer, who appeared at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024, as one of France's "most singular voices."

"Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to resonate across generations and borders," the minister said in a post on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a post on Facebook: "Kavinsky, forever a source of French pride."

A synthesizer sound that traveled

Kavinsky's reputation abroad rests heavily on "Nightcall," the synthesizer-driven song that opens "Drive," the 2011 film in which Gosling plays a Los Angeles stunt driver. The track's mix of retro electronics and melancholy became closely identified with the movie and helped carry the composer's work far beyond France.

He returned to a global stage at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where he rocked the national stadium by performing "Nightcall" with the Belgian singer Angèle at the closing ceremony.

The prosecutor's office did not release further details about the circumstances of the death, and no cause has been established. Investigations of that kind are routine in France when a person is found dead at home.

Kavinsky built his career at the intersection of dance music and film scoring, a combination the culture minister's tribute pointed to in describing music that was at once made for the club and steeped in nostalgia.