PROSECUTORS IN THE south of France are investigating the death of a 46-year-old man who died during a livestreaming event in which he was subjected to physical and mental abuse by two other men.

The man, Raphael Graven (known online as ‘Jean Pormanove’ or ‘JP’) died on Monday in the village of Contes, near Nice.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of death and have ordered an autopsy.

Graven died during a livestream on the Kick platform, which had been running for more than 298 hours.

Footage shared on social media showed him lying immobile under a bed cover as one of the two other men in the room threw a plastic water bottle in his direction.

The livestream was turned off shortly after the participants noticed he had died.

Viral clips from the broadcast show Graven being woken up with water splashed in his face, forced to stay awake with loud noises, and subjected to what some described as “mock strangulation.”

Graven had built a large online following by appearing in live streams in which he was abused or humiliated.

According to French outlet Le Monde, he endured “months of humiliation and abuse,” including sleep deprivation, constant harassment, and physical mistreatment.

“The story is reminiscent of some of the most chilling episodes from the British dystopian tech series Black Mirror,” they added.

Graven had more than one million followers across social media.

Official response

Sarah El Haïry, France’s high commissioner for children, called his death “horrifying” and urged parents to be vigilant about online content.

J’apprends le décès du streamer #jeanpormanove.
Horrifiant.

Les plateformes ont une responsabilité immense dans la régulation des contenus en ligne afin que nos enfants ne soient pas exposés à des contenus violents.
J’appelle les parents à la plus grande vigilance.

— Sarah EL HAÏRY (@sarahelhairy) August 19, 2025

The Nice prosecutors’ office said they had launched an investigation to determine the cause of death and ordered an autopsy.

France’s digital affairs minister Clara Chappaz publicly condemned the livestream, stating that online platforms “have the legal responsibility to remove clearly illegal content of which they are aware.”

Police in Nice had already been investigating alleged “deliberate violent acts” against vulnerable people being shared as online videos.

That investigation, which began in December, followed reports by the French outlet Mediapart revealing the existence of such videos, many on the Kick platform.

What is Kick?

The platform is seen as having less stringent user terms than those of its rival, the better-known Twitch streaming service.

The home page of streaming platform Kick. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Graven was particularly popular on Kick, which was founded in 2022 as a competitor to Amazon-owned Twitch.

It’s exploded in popularity, as the service offers creators a higher share of revenue to streamers than Twitch.

In a statement following the death of Graven, Kick said they are “deeply saddened” by his passing.

“All co-streamers who participated in this live broadcast have been banned pending the ongoing investigation,” the platform said.

“We are committed to fully cooperating with the authorities in this process. Additionally, we have terminated our collaboration with the former French social media agency and are undertaking a comprehensive review of our French content.”

The platform also said that their “priority is to protect creators and ensure a safer environment on Kick”.

X X

The platform had previously mocked Graven in posts on social media.

Additional reporting from AFP