Kevin Turen, Euphoria’s and The Idol’s executive producer, has passed away at the age of 44, according to Deadline. He passed away suddenly over the weekend. Turen is survived by his wife, Evelina, and his two sons, Jack and James.
On November 12, Turen was driving his ten-year-old son home from a tennis tournament when he was stricken by fatal health problems, forcing his son to steer them safely off the road. Turen was immediately taken to the hospital, where medical examiners ruled out drugs and alcohol as a cause and reported it as multiple heart issues.
Turen was born in New York City on August 16th, 1979. He studied cinema at Columbia University and then later moved to Los Angeles.
His father, Edward Turen, released a statement Sunday night stating, “Kevin was so incredibly special, this world is going to be less without him.”
Turen’s career started in movies when he first produced Wassup Rockers, directed by Larry Clark (Kids, Marfa Girl.) He then worked alongside director Sam Levinson (Another Happy Day, The Wizard of Lies) to produce Malcolm and Marie.
He also worked on The Birth of a Nation with Nate Parker (Beyond the Lights, The Great Debaters), Waves with Trey Schults (It Comes at Night, Krisha), Arbitrage by Nicholas Jarecki (Crisis, The Outsider), Pieces of a Woman with Kornél Mundruczó (Jupiter’s Moon, Delta) and 99 Homes and Ti West’s X trilogy with Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger, 99 Homes.)
His credits in television, alongside Euphoria and The Idol, are Irma Vep with Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper, Carlos)
CEO of Deadline’s parent company, PMC, and a close friend of Turen, Jay Penske, spoke warmly about him after the news broke, stating, “Despite his many achievements in Hollywood, Kevin’s greatest passion was his family and friends. 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. Our collective heart breaks for them, and we all feel such a profound sense of loss. We will miss Kevin so much, and this town lost one of its brightest rising stars today.”
Contributing reporting: Samantha Chevez