Kevin Turen, one of the producers on HBO’s Euphoria, has sadly passed away at the age of 44.
The tragedy was confirmed by a spokesperson for Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of entertainment outlet The Hollywood Reporter.
“Despite his many achievements in Hollywood, Kevin’s greatest passion was his family and friends,” Turen’s friend and CEO of PMC, Jay Penske, shared 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.”
“Kevin was so incredibly special, this world is going to be less without him,” his father Edward Turen told Deadline on Sunday night (November 12).
Turen, who was born in New York City in 1979, graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English and Critical Film Studies.
Wanting to land a job in the film industry, he started working at Capital Entertainment before it later became First Look Studios. Originally employed as a creative executive at First Look, he managed to work his way up to president of production. It was then that he acquired and distributed over 100 movies, including The Dead Girl (2006) and An American Crime (2007).
Continually moving up the ranks, Turen served as president of production at Infinity Media, before moving to Treehouse Pictures where he carved out a name for himself producing Nicholas Jareki’s 2012 thriller Arbitrage, which starred Richard Gere. He also produced JC Chandor’s 2013 action-adventure All is Lost, starring Robert Redford.
He later worked with Sam and Ashley Levinson, first as a producer on Sam’s 2018 dark comedy Assassination Nation.
In the same year, the trio founded Little Lamb Productions, with Euphoria becoming their first introduction into television. They then produced Sam’s black-and-white romantic drama Malcolm and Marie (2021) and The Idol starring Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) and Lily-Rose Depp.
Turen also worked with director Ti West as a producer on his slasher trilogy X, Pearl and the upcoming MaXXXine, all of which star Mia Goth.
He is survived by his wife, Evelina, and his two sons, Jack and James.
