How producer Kevin Turen, 44, met his unexpected end in a car with his son
As the cast of 'Euphoria' had not yet recovered from the death of one of its cast members, Angus Cloud, 2023 dealt another blow to the series with the sudden death of Kevin Turen.
Producer of two of the most recent HBO Max hits, 'Euphoria' and 'The Idol', he was 44 years old. About the cause of his death, halfway through November, there are different reports.
According to several media, including the Evening Sun, the producer was driving his 10-year-old son home from tennis practice when he suddenly felt unwell.
As Turen suffered what the media call "a medical emergency," his son had to take the wheel of the Tesla they were in. The car was on autopilot and the boy managed to park it and then call 911.
The official cause of his emergency in the car has not been confirmed. Metro notes, however, that Turen’s father and friend have denied that any drugs or alcohol were involved. An investigation confirmed that fact.
Previously, it was substance abuse that caused tragedy in the 'Euphoria' studios. The team of the series lost one of its members, Angus Cloud, to an accidental overdose. The actor was only 28 years old.
Jay Penske, executive director of Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of 'The Hollywood Reporter', was in charge of breaking the very hard news to the series team and the world.
Image: 'Euphoria' / HBO
Before that, on Sunday, November 12, Edward, Jay Penske's father, had already sent a statement to the main North American media to confirm the news.
"Despite his many achievements in Hollywood, Kevin’s greatest passion was his family and friends," Penske said in his statement. "He was so proud of his children. He and his wife, Evelina, were resolved that their children grow up with great values and ensured they make a difference in the broader world."
"We will miss Kevin so much, and this town lost one of its brightest rising stars today," he concludes.
And he is not wrong about rising stars. Kevin Turen's work has been exceptional since 2018 when he founded Little Lamb Productions together with Sam Levinson, creator of 'Euphoria'.
As an executive in production companies, the Columbia graduate in English and Cinema had been involved in several successful films during the early 21st century. With Little Lamb Productions, he began his first foray into television.
Turen and his team adapted a well-known Israeli series into an American one. It became a global success: 'Euphoria'.
By 2023, if the actors' strike had not happened, Kevin Turen would have been working on the third season of the well-known series.
Kevin Turen also produced 'The Idol', a series with The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp that caused such high expectations and social media noise that it ended up not meeting the expectations it created. Still, it was quite an event.
In parallel to television, Kevin Turen also produced one of the most successful horror trilogies in recent cinema: X, Pearl, and MaXXXine, created by Ti West and starring Mia Goth.
It is clear that Kevin Turen was a producer with an innate nose for hit movies and series. For the 'Euphoria' team, a very beloved colleague has departed.