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Kenzo Kies, a French soccer player, died June 22 after drowning in the Rhône river in France during the country’s historic heat wave.
By Olivia Evans Jun 25, 2026 8:24 PM | Updated 1 minute ago
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The French soccer community is mourning the loss of a rising star.
Kenzo Kies, an athlete who played for En Avant Guingamp and trained with AS Saint-Étienne, died June 22 after drowning in the Rhône river near Lyon, France, the city’s prosecutor's office told French outlet BFMTV. He was 21.
Kies, who was swimming with two friends in an area of the river where swimming is prohibited, was pulled from the water just after 5:30 p.m. local time on June 22, prosecutors told the outlet.
While the others in Kies’ party were not harmed, authorities told BFMTV, the athlete was taken to the hospital where he was declared brain dead.
E! News has attempted to reach out to local authorities in Lyon but has not heard back.
Following the tragedy, AS Saint-Étienne, where Kies was part of a youth training program, shared a touching tribute.
“The Green Generation is in mourning,” AS Saint-Étienne wrote in a social media statement translated from French. “A resident of the Robert-Herbin Sports Centre for seven years—a talented player and a quiet young man liked by all—Kenzo Kies has lost his life in tragic circumstances.”
The soccer club added that it “extends its deepest condolences to his loved ones, as well as to the teammates and coaches who shared part of his journey at the club.”
AS Saint-Étienne shared another message directly to the late player, adding, “Kenzo, no one in the corridors of L’Étrat will ever forget you.”
Meanwhile, EA Guingamp, where Kies signed last summer, also spoke out after learning of their young player’s death.
Rambaud J/Alpaca/Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
“En Avant Guingamp extends its most sincere condolences to Kenzo Kies' family as well as to all his loved ones,” the team wrote in its statement, “and offers them its full support during this painful ordeal.”
Kies’ death is just one of over 40 drowning deaths reported in France during the historic heat wave that began June 18. In Lyon, temperatures rose up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit on the day of Kies’ death.
French Minister of Health Stéphanie Rist urged locals to take extreme caution amid the rising temperatures.
“Even if you are young and in good health with no underlying medical issues,” she said in a statement, per the BBC, "this heat will affect you too.”
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