Fans are remembering Kavinsky for the iconic ‘Nightcall’ opening to ‘Drive’

    Ryan Gosling

    Fans have been remembering Kavinsky‘s hit song ‘Nightcall’ in the Ryan Gosling movie Drive, following the French DJ and electronic music star’s death.

    • READ MORE: Drive at 10: the story behind its moody, synth-laden soundtrack

    The musician, real name Vincent ‌Belorgey, was found in his home in Paris by authorities at around 10:30pm local time on Tuesday night (July 28).

    According to French news outlet Le Figaro, the discovery was made after a concerned neighbour reached out to emergency services and said that he had not seen the artist around the building for a few days.

    The newspaper reported that the cause of death was believed to be due to a stroke, and that in the days ahead of his passing, the artist told those close to him that he was struggling with severe headaches. He was aged 50.

    Following his death many fans have been remembering the opening to Nicolas Winding Refn’s neo-noir classic Drive, which features Kavinsky’s famous hit song.

    Posting the opening sequence from the 2011 film online, one fan wrote: “Nightcall’ was & still is the most iconic synthwave song bar none, with no better showcase of it than the intro to Drive. Often you can forget the impact of such special songs once they become so ubiquitous with respect to their genres, but this one never fades.”

    Another, who shared Kavinsky’s performance of the song from the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024, added: “Kavinsky’s music defined the aesthetic attitude of Drive, one of those rare films that’s arguably better than the book it’s based on. That’s in no small part due to this song.”

    “His music became immortal the moment ‘Nightcall’ opened Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive (2011), creating one of the most unforgettable opening sequences in modern cinema,” one fan also said while another added: “Tonight’s drive goes out to kavinsky.”