French Soccer Star Kenzo Kies Dead From Drowning During Paris Heat Wave

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.”