French actor Husky Kihal, best known for playing the medical examiner in the hit France 2 crime drama "Astrid et Raphaëlle," has died at the age of 64, his agent Sophie Lemaitre told the AFP news agency on Friday.
Lemaitre said he was found at his home and that the causes of his death were not yet known. She described him as a wonderful actor and one of her most treasured friends in a message posted on social media.
A career on screen and television
Kihal, who was originally from Lyon, began his film career in 1999 in "Recto-verso," directed by Jean-Marc Longval. He went on to appear in "Nos vies heureuses," "Taxi 4" and "Le Nom des gens."
In more recent years he featured in "La Vie scolaire," directed by Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir, "Hors normes," from Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, and "Les Tuche 4," directed by Olivier Baroux. He also appeared in several TF1 series, including "HPI" and "Alice Nevers," as well as the television film "Rebecca."
A regular on Astrid et Raphaëlle
Since 2019, Kihal had held a recurring role on "Astrid et Raphaëlle," a France 2 police drama built around a crime-solving duo made up of a police officer, Raphaëlle Coste, played by Lola Dewaere, and a criminal records archivist with autism, Astrid Nielsen, played by Sara Mortensen. Kihal played the medical examiner, Henri Fournier.
The show's sixth season, which aired at the end of 2025, drew more than four million viewers per episode, making it one of France 2's most popular series.
Tributes from his co-star
Dewaere, visibly moved, paid tribute to her co-star on Instagram. In her post, she said goodbye to her dear Husky, telling him she would see him again someday and that he would be greatly missed.
