Lucian Piane: Composer Who Worked on RuPaul’s Drag Race Dies Aged 46 After Being Hit by Car

Lucian Piane, the composer known for his work on RuPaul’s Drag Race, has died at the age of 46 after being hit by a car. Piane died on Monday, with his place of death recorded as a street, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner confirmed.

The American composer was hit by a vehicle in Glendale early Monday morning and later died from his injuries, according to law enforcement sources cited by TMZ.

The Glendale Fire Department told the outlet that emergency crews treated Piane before eventually pronouncing him dead at the scene. His most recent social media posts had also raised concerns among fans. Piane shared several videos of himself speaking at length, prompting followers to ask whether he was okay.

Left Everyone Shocked

However, Piane did not respond to their messages and appeared to be spending much of his time on the streets. Known professionally as RevoLucian, Piane worked as a judge, producer and songwriter across several seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

He appeared as a judge on the Emmy Award-winning reality competition series from 2012 to 2016, as it searched for the next drag superstar.

His production credits also included the soundtrack for the film Hairspray, work that earned him an RIAA Platinum Album Award. Piane collaborated with RuPaul on three albums: Champion in 2009, Glamazon in 2011 and Born Naked in 2014.

He also gained a following online through his satirical techno remixes under the RevoLucian name. One of his best-known tracks was “Bale Out,” which sampled actor Christian Bale’s profanity-filled outbursts recorded on the set of the 2009 film Terminator Salvation.

Piane also had several run-ins with law enforcement. In August 2019, he was arrested at gunpoint in Los Angeles after refusing to leave a Chase bank. Earlier that same month, he had been arrested twice on charges of felony vandalism and trespassing.

Mired in Controversies

Around the same period, Twitter, now known as X, suspended Piane’s account following a series of controversial posts. These included him calling people “racist f*****ts” and asking whether it was acceptable to “call Beyonce the N-word”.

In 2017, Piane also sparked backlash after attacking RuPaul’s Drag Race, describing the show as “bastardized drag”. He launched an online tirade against the series and accused RuPaul of only caring about money.

The outburst came after another controversy in late 2016, when Piane posted anti-Semitic and racist remarks online. In one tweet, he wrote, “If Jews stopped the Holocaust victim s**t we would all get along”. He also referred to RuPaul as the “wisest n****r”.

Piane later apologized for the remarks, attributing his behavior to drug use. He claimed he had experienced psychosis after consuming too much marijuana, which he said he had been using to treat an undiagnosed medical condition.