The young actor, who passed away in Tokyo at the age of 27, will be buried in his hometown of Nîmes. His father announced the repatriation of the body and requested a public ceremony.
Since the announcement of his death, numerous tributes have poured in for Lyad Smain, the French actor known for his roles in *Plus belle la vie* and *Un si grand soleil*. The artist, only 27 years old, died under circumstances that remain unclear while he was in Tokyo, Japan, “for a few weeks,” according to his father, Sabri Smain, who spoke to *Objectif Gard* on Saturday, October 18, 2025.
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The actor’s parents were informed of his disappearance a month earlier, on September 18, while they were on vacation abroad. “On September 17, we tried to call him to wish him a happy birthday, but we got no response,” his father said, visibly shaken. A few days later, they were contacted by the French Embassy in Tokyo, which informed them that their son “had died five days earlier.”
Repatriation and funeral in Nîmes
After lengthy administrative procedures, the family managed to secure the repatriation of the body. Lyad Smain will arrive in France on Monday, October 20, via Marseille Airport — more than a month after his death. The funeral will be held on Wednesday, October 22, at 2:30 p.m. at the *Pont de Justice* cemetery, located in the eastern part of Nîmes, the city where the actor was born and raised.
“He was a true Nîmois, very proud of his roots. He had no enemies,” said his father. He added that the ceremony would be open to the public: “We decided to allow everyone to attend because that’s what he would have wanted. He deserves a tribute.”
Last work: “Dracula est amoureux”
Just days before the announcement of his death, the last film starring Lyad Smain, titled Dracula est amoureux, was released on VOD and DVD on October 16, 2025. In this dramedy, the actor plays a young man willing to do anything to win back his ex-boyfriend — even disguising himself as Dracula to sneak into a costume party.
The film’s director, Laméo Florès, dedicated the movie to Smain in an emotional message posted on Instagram, describing him as “a bright talent and a deeply kind person.”
As France prepares to bid him farewell, the memory of Lyad Smain lives on through his talent, charisma, and the generosity he shared both on and off screen.
Source: Objectif Gard, Instagram. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
