New details have emerged about the final hours of Lucian Piane, the songwriter, producer and former guest judge whose music helped shape RuPaul's Drag Race. TMZ reports he left jail hours before his death Monday.
Piane, 46, died October 12 after a vehicle struck him in Glendale, California. PEOPLE reports that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner classified his death as accidental, with blunt trauma listed as the cause. The investigation remains open.
Emergency crews responded to a vehicle-pedestrian collision near San Fernando Road and Harvard Street at approximately 4:15 a.m. Monday. The Glendale Fire Department confirmed to PEOPLE that responders attempted lifesaving treatment, but the person involved was pronounced dead at the scene; the department did not identify the patient.
The newly reported jail release adds another detail to the timeline, but it does not establish what led to the collision. Entertainment Weekly separately confirmed the medical examiner's accident determination, while noting that it had not independently verified reports of the vehicle strike at publication.
For viewers of the show's early seasons, Piane was a familiar creative presence. His work included musical challenges such as "Shade: The Rusical," alongside collaborations with RuPaul on songs including "Cover Girl" and "Sissy That Walk." His credits also extended to film music and work with composer Marc Shaiman.
Tributes have emphasized the musician behind those performances. World of Wonder, the production company behind Drag Race, remembered him as a friend and gifted artist, while longtime judge Michelle Visage expressed sorrow over his death. Those remembrances place his creative contributions at the center of a story now drawing renewed attention to his final hours.
