World famous Swedish DJ Avicii, born Tim Bergling, has passed away at age 28, his publicist confirmed to Billboard. The artist died earlier on Friday.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” his publicist Diana Baron said in a statement. “He was found dead in Muscat, Oman this Friday afternoon local time, April 20th. The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time. No further statements will be given.”
Update 4/23: The musician’s family has released another statement on his passing:
“We would like to thank you for the support and the loving words about our son and brother. We are so grateful for everyone who loved Tim’s music and have precious memories of his songs. Thank you for all the initiatives taken to honor Tim, with public gatherings, church bells ringing out his music, tributes at Coachella and moments of silence around the world.” We are grateful for the privacy during this difficult time. Our wish is that it continues that way. With love, The Tim Bergling Family.“
DJ Avicii’s Cause of Death
Update 5/1: According to TMZ, Avicii used a piece of broken glass to commit suicide.
Per the outlet:
“Multiple sources familiar with the circumstances surrounding the famous DJ’s death tell us, he did indeed take his own life … something his parents alluded to last week.
Our sources say the method of death was a shard of glass that caused massive bleeding. Two sources tell us Avicii broke a bottle and used the glass to inflict the fatal wound. One of the sources says it was a wine bottle.
Two sources tell us the point of injury was Avicii’s neck but another strongly denies that, saying it was his wrist. We cannot confirm this, but the sources were privy to specific information about Avicii’s death.”
No official cause of death has been announced, however, authorities have ruled out “criminal suspicion.” “Two postmortems were carried out … and we can confirm that there is no criminal suspicion in the death,” Royal Oman Police told CNN.
Following two autopsies, his body was cleared to return to his native Sweden for a funeral. Citizens of the country took a moment of silence to pay their respects.
Avicii retired from live performances in 2016 for health reasons after putting together an impressive career at such a young age. His musical act had fans the world over and was a staple at many major electronic musical festivals.
At the time, he said in a statement: “I will however never let go of music—I will continue to speak to my fans through it, but I’ve decided this 2016 run will be my last tour and last shows. Let’s make them go out with a bang! One part of me can never say never, I could be back…but I won’t be right back.”
Per Variety, the star had struggled with health issues for several years, including acute pancreatitis which was exacerbated by excessive drinking. In 2014, he had his gallbladder and appendix removed.
In 2017, he posted the following message to his website:
“WE ALL REACH A POINT IN OUR LIVES AND CAREERS WHERE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT MATTERS THE MOST TO US.
For me it’s creating music. That is what I live for, what I feel I was born to do.Last year I quit performing live, and many of you thought that was it. But the end of live never meant the end of Avicii or my music. Instead, I went back to the place where it all made sense—the studio.
The next stage will be all about my love of making music to you guys. It is the beginning of something new.
Hope you´ll enjoy it as much as I do.”
Update 5/22: On Tuesday, Avicii’s family announced that they will be holding a private funeral for the global star. In a statement to Billboard, the family said: “There have been many inquiries regarding the funeral arrangements for Tim Bergling, known by music fans as Avicii. The Bergling family has now confirmed that the funeral will be private, in the presence of the people who were closest to Tim. They kindly ask media to respect this. There is no additional information forthcoming.”
Avicii’s Musical Career
During his career, he won two MTV Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award and earned two Grammy nominations. His biggest hit song was “Le7els.”
Avicii’s most notable songs include “Wake Me Up!” ‘’The Days” and “You Make Me.” He is credited with helping taking electronic music mainstream and reportedly earned $250,000 per night while on tour.
Earlier this week, he was nominated for another Billboard Music Award for top dance/electronic album for his EP Avicii (01).
Best Avicii Quotes
- “I’m a DJ. I get the party started.”
- “There’s always haters, no matter what you’re doing. Whether they’re complaining that everything you do sounds the same, or it’s too different.”
- “Dance music is like a virus: it has affected so many different genres.”
- “It’s hard—some people get inspired by a feeling, but I’m mostly inspired by melodies.”
- “I’ve always been mainstream. It’s so weird, because I don’t see it as something negative at all. So many people see it as something negative.”
- “I’ve always had a fascination with making your own music but never have been skilled enough to play the instrument, so to be able to make music without the ability was awesome.”
- “I think I am a pretty good judge of character in general and try to surround myself with the best people I can.”
- “I love DJing, I do. I love everything that comes with it; it’s fun and it’s kind of glamorous.”
Reactions to Avicii’s Death
Fans and fellow industry members have taken to Twitter to pay their respects. Ex-girlfriend Emily Goldberg posted a lengthy Instagram note on his passing.
A church in his native Sweden will ring his hit song “Wake Me Up” in remembrance of him.
A church in Stockholm will ring 'Wake me up' by Avicii all week https://t.co/CuP0YXwgXE pic.twitter.com/R21TTUOkFk
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 24, 2018
I’m so saddened to hear about @Avicii.. my prayers and thoughts are with his friends and family. Damn.
— MitiS (@MitisOfficial) April 20, 2018
Awful news. RIP @Avicii ❤️
— Oli White (@OliWhiteTV) April 20, 2018
RIP Avicii. I have so many great memories to his music.
— Caspar Lee (@Caspar_Lee) April 20, 2018
Damn Dude RIP #Avicii 🙏🏽
— DJ Pauly D (@DJPaulyD) April 20, 2018
Avicii contributed incredible art to this world. devastated to hear about this. Rest In Peace. X
— Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) April 20, 2018
