The French audiovisual sector is losing a great talent. Director Valentin Petit, 32, died over the weekend in the crash of a tourist plane in Switzerland, which killed three people. His family confirmed the information to the Berry Républicain.
On Saturday, a plane took off from La Chaux-de-Fonds airport in Switzerland for a sightseeing flight. On board was the pilot, about seventy years old, Valentin Petit and another passenger. All three occupants of the plane died after it crashed in a steep area in the western canton of Neuchâtel.
The plane ride was a birthday present
This plane ride was "a birthday present that a loved one had given him," Valentin Petit's father told Berry Républicain. The director was to celebrate his 33rd birthday on Monday. "We will have to recover the body, which must first be autopsied, to bring it home," says his father, who says he has been "devastated" since he heard the terrible news.
Valentin Petit had made a name for himself in the production of music videos. He has collaborated with many renowned French and international artists, such as Pharrell Williams, Nekfeu, Romeo Elvis and Rosalía. In 2023, he shot the video for the song "Even not a squeak" by rapper Ziak. Published last January on YouTube, the video now has more than six million views.
In addition to music videos, Valentin Petit directed commercials but also short films. Since the announcement of his death, tributes from players in the music and audiovisual industry have multiplied on social networks.