Kevin Turen, best known for his producing work on HBO’s Euphoria and The Idol, died after reportedly suffering a medical emergency. He was 44.
Turen’s sudden death on 12 November was confirmed by a spokesperson for Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of US entertainment publication The Hollywood Reporter.
“Despite his many achievements in Hollywood, Kevin’s greatest passion was his family and friends,” Turen’s close friend and CEO of PMC, Jay Penske, said in a 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. 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.”
At the time, no details of his death were provided. However, now it’s been reported that Turen died after he suffered a medical emergency while driving his 10-year-old son home from a tennis tournament, according to US tabloid TMZ.
The producer was driving his Tesla on autopilot on a California freeway, which allowed his son to navigate the car to pull over so he could call 911, Turen’s father, Edward, and close friend Michael Hellar reportedly told TMZ.
Born in New York City in 1979, Turen was an English and Critical Film Studies graduate of Columbia University.
He went on to work in the film industry, landing his first job at Capital Entertainment before it later became First Look Studios. Starting out as a creative executive at First Look, he eventually worked his way up to president of production. There, he acquired and distributed over 100 films, including 2006’s The Dead Girl and 2007’s An American Crime.
Kevin Turen pictured far right— (Getty Images)
Turen went on to serve as president of production at Infinity Media, before he moved to Treehouse Pictures where he made a name for himself producing Nicholas Jareki’s 2012 thriller Arbitrage, starring Richard Gere, and JC Chandor’s 2013 action-adventure All is Lost, starring Robert Redford.
He then became associated with Sam and Ashley Levinson, first working as a producer on Sam’s 2018 dark comedy Assassination Nation.
That same year, the three founded Little Lamb Productions, with the popular teen drama Euphoria becoming their first foray into television. They went on to produce Sam’s black-and-white romantic drama Malcolm and Marie (2021) and his critically panned miniseries The Idol alongside its star Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd).
Turen also had a close working relationship with director Ti West, working as a producer on his slasher trilogy X, Pearl and the forthcoming MaXXXine, all starring Mia Goth.
Turen is survived by his wife, Evelina, and two sons, Jack and James.
