The death of French streamer Raphaël Graven (Jean Pormanove) during a live broadcast on Kick has shocked the country and his online community. Preliminary forensic findings released by the Nice Public Prosecutor's Office rule out trauma and third-party involvement , pointing the investigation toward a medical or toxicological cause.
The creator, a 46-year-old former soldier , was participating in a marathon live stream of extreme content that accumulated hundreds of hours of live broadcasts. The case remains open, with new evidence being requested, while doubts grow about the limits of the most aggressive content on streaming platforms.
What the autopsy says and what stage of the cause is
According to prosecutor Damien Martinelli , the examination carried out by two forensic doctors found no internal or external traumatic injuries , nor burns, beyond some bruises and old marks that had already healed, especially on the legs.
With that preliminary finding, the investigation is focusing on the possibility of a medical and/or toxicological cause . Further toxicological and pathological analyses have been ordered to precisely determine the cause of death, a line of inquiry that requires laboratory results and additional time.
Sources close to him and testimonies gathered by local media mention that Graven may have had pre-existing heart problems detected during anesthesia in 2024 and that he was undergoing thyroid treatment . He is also described as having fragile health and disordered lifestyle habits. These claims, however, will need to be corroborated within the framework of the legal proceedings.
The Prosecutor's Office is keeping the investigation open and listening to participants and witnesses of the live broadcast, while awaiting expert analysis to definitively establish the cause of death.
The extreme live in Kick and an on-screen money counter
The streamer died in his sleep during a live stream that lasted nearly 12 days (around 300 hours). In the final segments, he was seen lying motionless on a mattress, and other participants tried to wake him with jokes and gestures that have generated strong condemnation.
The live stream drew around 10.000 viewers , some of whom used donations to send alert messages to those watching. The broadcast ended shortly afterward, with a scoreboard on screen showing tens of thousands of euros raised during the marathon.
Days earlier, the group had promoted a challenge dubbed “10 Days and Nights of Torture ,” featuring endurance tests, sleep deprivation, and violent scenes. Previous recordings released by various media outlets show paintball guns , water cannons, extreme noises to prevent rest, and even dangerous maneuvers described as part of the “show.”
The line between agreed-upon acting and actual abuse has been at the center of the debate: there were moments when, according to transcripts cited by French television stations, Graven himself complained privately of feeling "a prisoner" of the format , while those involved have maintained in previous statements that everything was scripted.
Who was Jean Pormanove and how did his character work?
Raphaël Graven first gained attention with video games like GTA and Fortnite , and gradually shifted towards extreme content. Under the alias Jean Pormanove, he amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram, establishing a persona centered on humiliation and endurance challenges.
The creators Owen Cenazandotti (“Naruto”) and Safine Hamadi , among others, participated in their recurring live streams . Both have been questioned by police at different stages and have denied any criminal responsibility for the events. In the past, those involved maintained that the scenes were consensual and intended to go viral , with variable monthly income derived from donations.
Months before his death, a preliminary investigation opened following a journalistic report had already focused on this ecosystem of extreme content . In those proceedings, according to official statements, Pormanove and another participant refused to be considered victims and opposed a psychiatric evaluation.
Following the death, the Kick platform reported the temporary expulsion of the co-streamers who appeared in the broadcast and announced a review of its French content, while collaborating with the authorities in the ongoing investigation.
Political reactions and regulatory pressure on platforms
The case has sparked a chain reaction in France. The head of Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz , described what happened as "absolute horror" and asked the regulator Arcom to examine whether the broadcast violated the law, stressing that platforms' responsibility regarding illegal content is not optional.
Meanwhile, the Nice investigation team is proceeding with interrogations and expert reports, while the public debate focuses on whether certain online entertainment dynamics normalize violence and attract minors to harmful spaces without proper moderation.
Organizations and leaders have called for stricter rules to limit the spread of degrading content and strengthen the protection of vulnerable users. Under discussion are compliance measures, algorithmic transparency, and rapid response systems for serious live incidents.
Kick, criticized for operating with terms of service perceived as more lax than those of Twitch , has stated that it will "completely reassess" its local offering and moderation processes, in a context of unprecedented public scrutiny for this type of content.
The episode leaves a series of questions that the justice system will have to resolve and an uncomfortable lesson for the streaming ecosystem: when the search for virality takes precedence, protection mechanisms fail and the risk of crossing boundaries with irreparable consequences multiplies.