Heartbreaking New Details About The Sudden Death Of Swedish DJ Avicii At 28
Musician and DJ Avicii has passed away but questions linger.
Getty Sweish DJ Avicci's death is way too sudden and way too soon. Music fans were stunned today when representatives for Swedish musician, producer and DJ Avicii posted this message:
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii. 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.”
How did Avicci die? No information is available regarding the circumstance of his death currently.
According to Variety, Avicii, 28, was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1989. He first made a name for himself as a DJ and released his first single in 2007. He really broke out as a recording artist on the European charts with the song "Seek Bromance". In 2011, his single "Levels" was nominated for a Grammy as was his 2012 collaboration with Dave Guettta called "Sunshine".
Over the next several years, he had some high-profile collaborations with artists like Carlos Santana and and Coldplay. He released another album in 2015 before announcing in 2016 that he was going to retire from live performances.
He explained the change on his website in 2017, saying, “We all reach a point in our lives and careers where we understand what matters 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.”
He explained his retirement in 2016, saying, “To me it was something I had to do for my health,” he says of his decision to quit touring. “The scene was not for me. It was not the shows and not the music. It was always the other stuff surrounding it that never came naturally to me. All the other parts of being an artist. I'm more of an introverted person in general. It was always very hard for me. I took on board too much negative energy, I think.”
He continued recording and producing after he stopped performing. In August of 2017 he released a 6-track EP entitled “Avicii". He followed that up with full-length documentary entitled “True Stories,” which detailed his retirement.
Avicii struggled with a number of physical and mental health issues over the past few years. Billboard magazine says he was hospitalized in 2014 and had his appendix and gall bladder removed, which caused lingering issues and resulted in canceled performances. Variety reports that in 2016, he experienced acute pancreatitis, possibly related to heavy drinking.
He reportedly suffered from anxiety and depression on top of his physical illnesses. The strain of touring took a toll on his as he told fans in a Reddit AMA in 2015, "I know I am blessed to be able to travel all around the world and perform, but I have too little left for the life of a real person behind the artist."
No information is available regarding the circumstance of his death. But we can ay that he is gone too soon and the world has lost a wonderful artist.
Rebekah Kuschmider is a DC area writer with a background in non-profit management and advocacy Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and is a contributor the book Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox . She is a cohost of the weekly political podcast The More Perfect Union.