“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Lucian Piane died after he was struck by a car. He was 46.
The music producer was hit just after 4 a.m. Monday near the intersection of San Fernando Road and Harvard Street, in Glendale, California, a spokesman for the Glendale Police Department told the Daily News Tuesday. The department confirmed TMZ’s initial report that Piane was not carrying formal identification when he was struck.
“The pedestrian who was struck was declared dead at the scene by paramedics and did not have identification on his person,” the police spokesman, Sgt. Gaik Pobokhian, told The News. “However, he did have a citation from our police department, which is the only limited form of identification we had on him.”
The Glendale Fire Department responded and initiated lifesaving efforts but ultimately declared him dead at the scene, Pobokhian said. Records from the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s office indicated Piane died of “blunt trauma” and listed his place of death as the “street.”
Piane was the musical momentum behind Seasons 1-8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” composing the music and Rusical numbers as well as working on other “Drag Race” iterations. Collaborating with RuPaul, he wrote “Cover Girl,” “Sissy That Walk,” “Champion” and a slew of other hits for the entertainer, Variety noted. He was also a guest judge and appeared in some episodes.
The classically trained composer graduated from New York University and was the composer on scores for HBO productions and was nominated for a Grammy for production work on the “Hairspray” movie version’s soundtrack, as noted by Deadline. That also earned him an RIAA Platinum Album Award.
Piane had posted troubling Instagram videos in the weeks leading up to his death, and numerous people had weighed in asking if he was ok and urging him to get help. On Saturday Glendale police issued him a citation under a city ordinance for smoking a cigarette in a no-smoking zone, Pobokhian told The News.
The driver who hit him was a man on his way to work who stayed at the scene, the police spokesman said, noting that “there was no evidence of reckless driving, speeding or vehicle violations leading to the accident,” Pobokhian said.
“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Lucian Piane,” the production company for “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” World of Wonder, posted on social media. “Lucian left behind a legacy of truly beautiful music. May his struggles never dim the memories of a sweet man, a dear friend, and a master musician. Rest in peace, Lucian.”
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