The Los Angeles County medical examiner revealed the cause of death of Kevin Turen, the “Euphoria” producer who died in November.
The medical examiner listed “acute cardiac dysfunction” and “hypertrophic heart disease” as the official causes of death for Turen, 45. The office also cited atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries as a contributing condition.
Turen suffered a cardiac event on November 12 on a California highway. Turen’s 10-year-old son Jack was able to stop the car on the side of the road. The producer was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
The couple had returned from a tennis tournament, Turen’s father, Edward Turen, told the Times days after the event. “Jack looked over and thought his father had passed out while he was behind the wheel,” he said. “He had the presence of mind to unbuckle his seat belt, throw himself on the ground with his left hand [controlling] the brake and the accelerator, his right hand the steering wheel.”
Turen co-founded Little Lamb Productions in 2018 and produced the nine-time Emmy Award-winning HBO drama “Euphoria,” starring Zendaya and the late Angus Cloud. She reunited with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson on the feature film “Malcolm and Marie” and on the Weeknd-starring HBO series “The Idol.” He also produced Larry Clark’s “Wassup Rockers,” Kornél Mundruczó’s “Pieces of a Woman,” and Ti West’s horror films “X” and “Pearl.”
In a statement to The Times after his death, HBO described Turen as “a talented producer and collaborator and will be missed immensely by all who knew him and had the fortune to work with him.”
Jay Penske, CEO of Penske Media Group, was a close friend of Turen and told the Times after his death that “he was very proud of his children. He and his wife, Evelina, decided that their children would grow up with great values and made sure they made a difference in the world at large. Our collective heart breaks for them and we all feel a deep sense of loss. “Kevin will be greatly missed and this city lost one of its brightest rising stars today.”
Turen is survived by his wife, Evelina, and two sons, Jack and James.
