Tim Bergling[a] (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally asAvicii,[b] was aSwedishDJ, remixer, andrecord producer. At age 16, he began posting hisremixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal.[2] He rose to prominence in 2011 with his single "Levels". His debut studio album,True (2013), blended electronic music with elements of multiple genres and received generally positive reviews. It peaked in the top 10 in more than 15 countries and topped international charts;[3][4][5][6] the lead single, "Wake Me Up", topped most music markets in Europe and reached number four in the United States.
Bergling retired from touring in 2016, after several years of stress and poor mental health.[11] In 2018, he died by suicide while on holiday inMuscat,Oman. His third and final album,Tim, wasreleased posthumously in 2019.[12]
Life and career
1989–2010: Early life and career
Tim Bergling was born inStockholm on 8 September 1989,[13] the son of Klas Bergling, who ran an office supply business, and actressAnki Lidén.[14] He had three siblings: David Bergling, Linda Sterner, and actorAnton Körberg. He started mixing in his bedroom at the age of eight.[15]
Inspired by his brother, who was also a DJ, he began making music at the age of 16,[16] teaching himself to use apirated copy ofFL Studio.[14] In May 2007, Bergling signed on with the Dejfitts Plays label.[17] He was a member of theLaidback Luke Forums, where he refined his craft and, at times, demonstrated his distinct deep house style.[18] By 2009 to 2010, Bergling was a prolific producer and was releasing music incredibly quickly. His remixes during this period were "Sound of Now", "Muja", "Ryu" and "Even". Bergling adopted his monikerAvicii, which is a respelling ofAvīci, which according to Bergling means "the lowest level ofBuddhist hell." He chose the moniker because his real name was already used upon creating hisMyspace page.[19][20] Then, in 2010, Bergling released the hit song "Seek Bromance", which reached the top 20 in several countries, including Belgium,[21] France,[22] the Netherlands,[23] United Kingdom,[24] and Sweden.[25] He also remixedNadia Ali's classic single "Rapture" for her albumQueen of Clubs Trilogy: Onyx Edition. In October 2010, Bergling signed with the European A&R team withEMI Music Publishing.[26]
In 2011, Bergling's track "Fade into Darkness" was sampled byLeona Lewis on her single "Collide". The sampling was not accredited and led to controversy as Bergling attempted to block the single's release. The matter was resolved out of court, with "Collide" being made a joint release between Lewis and Bergling.[27] In October 2011, Bergling released "Levels", which launched him into the mainstream. "Levels" reached the top ten in Austria,[28] Belgium,[29] Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark,[30] Finland,[31] Germany,[32] Greece, Ireland,[33] Italy,[34] the Netherlands,[35] Slovenia and the United Kingdom,[36] whilst topping the charts in Hungary,[37] Norway[38] and Sweden.[39]
In 2012, his collaboration track "Sunshine" withDavid Guetta was nominated for aGrammy award under the category for Best Dance Recording.[8] On 23 March 2012, Bergling's unsigned single "Last Dance" was previewed on Pete Tong's show onBBC Radio 1.[40] The song was later released on 27 August 2012. AtUltra Music Festival 2012 in Miami, he premiered two tracks, "Girl Gone Wild" (Avicii's UMF Remix) withMadonna[41] and "Superlove" withLenny Kravitz.[42] Bergling's UMF Remix of "Girl Gone Wild" was released on 20 April 2012, and "Superlove" with Kravitz was released on 29 May 2012. After reaching two million followers on Facebook, Bergling released a new song titled "Two Million". It was put out as a free download on his officialSoundCloud page. On 27 April 2012, Bergling released "Silhouettes". The song featured vocals fromSalem Al Fakir and peaked at number 5 on the UK Dance charts[43] and number 4 on theBillboardHot Dance Club Songs.[44]
Avicii during an interview in May 2012
Bergling was a featured performer on 4 August 2012 atLollapalooza festival in Chicago's Grant Park.[45] On 12 August 2012, he released "Dancing in My Head" (Avicii's 'Been Cursed' Mix) onBeatport.[46] The track features vocals fromEric Turner. A radio edit of the track, titled "Dancing in My Head" (Tom Hangs Mix) was released on 14 August 2012 oniTunes, and a remix EP was later released on 30 October 2012 featuring remixes from Charlie Bernardo andMichael Woods. On 26 September 2012, Bergling made history as the first DJ to headline the world-famousRadio City Music Hall in New York City.[47] He performed two sold-out shows on 26 and 27 September. He was supported by Matt Goldman andCazzette at the two shows. At his Radio City Music Hall shows, he played a preview of his new track withMike Posner titled "Stay with You".[48]
On 29 December 2012, Bergling premiered many new songs at Lights All Night, Dallas Convention Center, some of which made it on to his first album,True. These unreleased songs included "I'll Be Gone" and "Let It Go".[49] The instrumental of "Let It Go" was mixed with the cappella of "Addicted to You" to become "Addicted to You (Avicii by Avicii)".
On the same day, Bergling released "I Could Be the One" withNicky Romero.[50] After first being debuted at his shows almost a year earlier, the track finally got released via Bergling's record labelLevels. The new vocal version was released along with an instrumental version, a radio edit, and remixes from Audrio and Didrick. On 9 January 2013, Bergling launched theAvicii X You project, a partnership withEricsson[51] designed to create the world's first "crowdsourced" hit song. The project enabled fans to send in basslines, effects, melodies, rhythms and vocals to Bergling as sound files over the Internet.[52] The song features sequences from Kian Sang (melody), Naxsy (bassline), Martin Kupilas (beat), Vanya Khaksi (break), Jonathan Madray, Mateusz Kolata, and Christian Westphalen (effects). Bergling acted as executive producer and created the finished song officially titledX You, which was released on 26 February 2013. On 30 January 2013, Bergling released "Three Million" featuring Negin to celebrate three million fans on his Facebook page.[53]
In March 2013, Bergling announced and premiered new tracks from his forthcoming new albumTrue—which was released in September that year—during his Main Stage set atUltra Music Festival in Miami. The new tracks were experimental in nature. For example, Bergling brought out a stomping band to play through the new bluegrass-tinged song "Wake Me Up".[57] Many of these new songs received mixed critical reviews after the concert.[58]
On 11 April 2013, Bergling released his new album promo mix onSoundCloud. It contained some songs fromTrue and some of his non-album singles.[59] It also contained some of his IDs such as "Black and Blue" and "Enough is Enough (Don't Give Up On Us)".
On 14 June 2013, the world premiere of Bergling's new single, "Wake Me Up", was previewed byPete Tong on BBC Radio 1, featuring vocals fromAloe Blacc.[61] The song was later released on iTunes and radio on 25 June 2013. It is the first single from Bergling's albumTrue, which was released on 16 September 2013. "Wake Me Up" was number 1 on the Spotify Global Chart and Bergling was at 2 in most streamed artist worldwide.[62] "Wake Me Up" later went on to set a then record of 14 weeks as the number one hit onBillboard's Dance/Electronic Songs list.[63] TheOfficial Charts Company announced on 21 July that "Wake Me Up" had become the UK's fastest selling single of 2013 after overtakingRobin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", having sold 267,000 copies in its first week on sale in the UK.[64] "Wake Me Up" subsequently became a major hit, topping the charts in over 20 countries including Australia,[65] Germany,[66] Ireland,[67] Italy, Sweden,[68] the Netherlands,[69] and New Zealand.[70]
On 19 October 2013, the DJ Mag 2013 Top 100 DJs List was announced, with Bergling ranking number 3 on the list.Hardwell became the new World No.1, displacingArmin Van Buuren.[71] On 28 October 2013, Bergling released the single "Hey Brother" with vocals byDan Tyminski. On 10 November, Bergling won his first award—"Best Electronic"—at theMTV EMAs.[72] On 24 November 2013 he won theAmerican Music Award for favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist.[73]
In December 2013, Bergling released his fourth single off the album, "Addicted to You", which reached number 5 in Australia,[74] with vocals fromAudra Mae, who also sings on "Shame on Me" and "Long Road to Hell", both tracks on the album.[75] Bergling also released the single "Lay Me Down", featuring vocals fromAdam Lambert and guitar fromNile Rodgers.[76] On 29 December 2013, Bergling debuted his new track "Dreaming of Me", featuring vocals from Audra Mae, via episode 19 of hisLE7ELS podcast.[77] It is unknown whether it will be released in the future.
On 28 February 2014,Wake Me Up became the first song in history to surpass 200 million listeners onSpotify, making it the platform's most-streamed track at the time. The song held the top spot as the most-played track on the platform for 506 days until it was overtaken by Ed Sheeran'sThinking Out Loud in May 2015.[78]
On 8 March 2014, Bergling'sInstagram account confirmed a collaboration withMadonna, and he is credited for co-writing and co-producing some of the tracks on herRebel Heart album, released in 2015.[79][80] On 21 March 2014, Bergling released a remixed edition of his albumTrue titledTrue: Avicii By Avicii containing remixes by himself of all the tracks, excluding "Heart Upon My Sleeve" for unknown reasons. The promotion of this album was supposed to begin at the 2014Ultra Music Festival, but Bergling announced he had been hospitalised on 28 March, and was unable to play his closing set at the festival.[81] On 28 March 2014,FIFA andSony Music Entertainment announced that Bergling would be collaborating withCarlos Santana,Wyclef Jean andAlexandre Pires for the officialFIFA World Cup Anthem titled "Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way)". The anthem was performed at theFIFA World Cup closing ceremony on 13 July 2014.[82]
In July 2014, Bergling released his single "Lay Me Down".[83] He also produced and collaborated withChris Martin fromColdplay, co-writing and co-producing the track "A Sky Full of Stars" from the band's sixth studio albumGhost Stories, released on 19 May 2014. He also played and recorded the piano parts on the track. "A Sky Full of Stars" was released on 3 May as the second single fromGhost Stories.[84] "Lovers on the Sun", a track Bergling co-produced withDavid Guetta, was released on 30 June 2014.[85]
During his tour forTrue, he also performed his upcoming single "No Pleasing a Woman" with vocals fromBillie Joe Armstrong of the American rock bandGreen Day. It has a similar instrumental to "Wake Me Up" albeit different chord progressions. Along with "No Pleasing a Woman", Bergling also performed other upcoming songs like "In Love with Your Ghost" withDaniel "Danne" Adams-Ray, "Love to Fall" withTom Odell and "Million Miles" withLP, which is the demo version of "Trouble", a song fromStories with vocals fromWayne Hector.[88]
"Lose Myself", a collaboration between Bergling and Chinese singerWang Leehom, was released on 1 September 2014. On 8 September 2014, his 25th birthday, Bergling decided to cancel all of his remaining performances of 2014 due to health concerns.[89] The following day, he announced through Denim & Supply that he would release his new single "The Days" later in 2014; a video was also featured with a preview of the track.[90] "The Days" is a collaboration between Bergling andRobbie Williams, and was released on 3 October 2014 via PRMD. On 16 September 2014, it was announced throughEA Sports that Bergling was debuting a new track called "The Nights" exclusively onFIFA 15.[91] On 17 November 2014, it was officially announced that the track is to be released as a part of anEP together with "The Days".[92] On 17 November 2014,Wyclef Jean released a track titled "Divine Sorrow" featuring Avicii, which was part ofProduct Red's "Share the Sound of an AIDS-Free Generation" campaign.[93][94]
On 2 March 2015, Bergling performed live at Australia'sFuture Music Festival his upcoming single "Heaven", with another collaboration with Chris Martin on vocals. The vocals were later resung by singer Simon Aldred fromCherry Ghost, who sang the track at the Avicii Tribute Concert in 2019.[95][96] However, the version with Martin on vocals was finalized in 2018/2019 after Bergling's death and was released on the posthumous third albumTim, which credits Martin for co-writing "Heaven".[97][98] On 27 March that year, during his live performance atUltra Music Festival inMiami, Bergling premiered new tracks fromStories, and a month later he released three full sets on the internet,[99] which included "Heaven", "Waiting for Love", and some of his IDs "For a Better Day", "City Lights", "Can't Catch Me", "True Believer", "What Would I Change It To", "Can't Love You Again" (previously leaked on the internet under the name "Don't Call") and "Attack".[100][99][101]
On 25 April 2015, Bergling announced on episode 35 of hisLE7ELS podcast that he would be playing some of his unreleased songs on his show. He also previewed his bootleg of Kings of Tomorrow's song "Finally" and one of his old songs that he did with ASH, titled "Papa Was a Rolling Stone".[102]
On 6 May 2015, Bergling released his rework ofNina Simone's version of "Feeling Good",[103] composed in 1964 by the English songwritersAnthony Newley andLeslie Bricusse. On 8 May 2015, Bergling previewed his song "I'll Be Gone" via episode 422 ofTiësto's Club Life podcast,[104] which has a very similar instrumental to "Liar Liar" (Avicii by Avicii) albeit different vocals and chord progressions. It was leaked into the internet between 2013 and 2014 via the name "Stars" and is yet to be released. It also shares a similar drop to one of Bergling's ID's "Black and Blue".[105] On 22 May 2015, Bergling premiered another single fromStories, "Waiting for Love". The track was co-produced by fellow DJ and producerMartin Garrix, and featured vocals from Simon Aldred of Cherry Ghost.[106] On 25 May 2015, Bergling previewed three old tracks on episode 36 of hisLE7ELS podcast: "Tracks of My Tears", "Sorry Mr. Atari" and "Time to Get lll",[107] all of which are songs that Bergling had made years ago. "Tracks of My Tears" is the original version of Bergling's "All You Need is Love". On 27 May 2015, it was confirmed by a Swedish newspaper through an interview with Bergling that his second albumStories would be released in late 2015.[108]
On June 12, 2015, the Canadian indie pop bandWalk Off the Earth released the track"I'll Be Waiting". The song was written by Avicii in collaboration with the band members and is part of their album"Sing It All Away". A music video for the song was released on May 3, 2016.[109]
On 3 July 2015, Bergling previewed two tracks from his albumStories on episode 37 of hisLE7ELS podcast: "Broken Arrows", featuringZac Brown Band, and "Can't Catch Me", featuringWyclef Jean andMatisyahu.[citation needed] He also played a full version of his track "Heaven" and said that he was doing another track with Chris Martin on vocals called "True Believer". Later, Bergling said that he is also singing on that track.[110] On 18 July 2015, it was announced by Bergling that he had finally finished production onStories after 2 years of work.[111]
A couple of weeks later, on 4 August 2015, it was announced that the final singles before the release ofStories would be "For a Better Day", featuring American singerAlex Ebert, and "Pure Grinding", featuring vocals from Kristoffer Fogelmark andEarl St. Clair. On 27 August, Bergling released a teaser video on Instagram with the song "Pure Grinding" playing. The tracks "For a Better Day" and "Pure Grinding" were released the following day through Spotify and iTunes.[112] On 26 September, Bergling announced "Stories – Megamix" on Spotify.[113]Stories was released on 2 October 2015 alongside 3 promotional singles: "Broken Arrows" with Zac Brown, "Ten More Days" withZak Abel and "Gonna Love Ya" withSandro Cavazza.[114]
On December 9, 2015, Avicii remixed his song"Broken Arrows" to be featured as part of the soundtrack for that year'sYouTube Rewind.
2016: Retirement from touring
Avicii's logo, which he used throughout his career
On 15 January 2016, Bergling released his remix ofMorten's "Beautiful Heartbeat".[115] Coca-Cola had partnered with Bergling for a global campaign anthem, "Taste the Feeling", featuringConrad Sewell.[116] The song was released on 19 January. On 25 January, Bergling once again teamed up with Coldplay to co-produce the band's single "Hymn for the Weekend", which was released as the second single from their albumA Head Full of Dreams.[117] In 2016, according to a report byInc. magazine, Avicii Music AB was the 6th-fastest-growing company in Europe, with a revenue of €7.7 million in 2014.[118][119][120]
On 19 March 2016 at Ultra Music Festival, Bergling debuted new demos featuringSandro Cavazza such as "We Burn (Faster Than Light)", "Lord", "Our Love", & "Unbreakable", as well as a collaboration with Australian pop starSia called "All I Need"; they remain unreleased to this day.[121] On 29 March, Bergling announced via his Facebook page that he would be retiring from performing later that year, citing health concerns.[122] On 7 April 2016, Bergling announced that he was working on a third studio album.[123] On 3 June 2016, Bergling released a collaboration with Otto Knows titled "Back Where I Belong".[124]
On 15 July 2016, Bergling released a remix of his own song, "Feeling Good". The remix was titled "Feeling Good (Avicii by Avicii)".[125] This track was only released on Bergling's official YouTube channel. On 1 August, the track was pulled from YouTube with the video being made private. On 28 August 2016, Bergling performed his final show atUshuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel.[126]
On 22 December 2016, a representative of Avicii Music AB announced that Bergling had parted ways with long-time managerArash Pournouri and At Night Management along with Pournouri's record label PRMD. The representative also announced that Bergling had signed on to Universal Music Sweden and was expected to release his third studio album in 2017.[127]
In June 2017, British singerRita Ora debuted a semi-acoustic version of "Lonely Together" at a private event at Annabel's in London.[128] "Lonely Together" was later released as the second single fromAvīci (01). From 13 July to 2 August, Bergling shared one-minute snippets on Instagram, captioned "New music coming very very (very) soon!", with track titles as hashtags.[129][130] Bergling uploaded teasers of each track from the EP online upon release.[131][132][133]
On 10 August 2017, Bergling released the six-track EPAvīci (01).[7] Bergling said of the release: "I'm really excited to be back with music once again. It has been a long time since I released anything and a long time since I was this excited over new music! My focus on this first EP of the album was to get a mix of new and old songs: some that fans have been asking about and waiting for mixed with brand new songs that they haven't heard before!"[7]
In an interview with Pete Tong onBBC Radio 1, Bergling stated that the EP is one of three parts of his third studio album.[134] On 11 September 2017, Bergling announced a documentary directed by his close and long time collaborator Levan Tsikurishvili, titledAvicii: True Stories. The documentary chronicles the artist's retirement from touring and features interviews from his colleaguesDavid Guetta,Tiësto,Wyclef Jean,Nile Rodgers andChris Martin ofColdplay.[135]
On January 4, American singerAnderson East released the single"Girlfriend". The song was co-written with Avicii for Anderson's albumEncore.[136]
On 10 February 2018, Bergling released "Ghost", a collaboration with Swedish singer-songwriter Daniel Adams-Ray, who was credited as Human. The song, which was leaked on the internet in 2014/2015 under the title "(I'm Still) In Love with Your Ghost", marks the second collaboration between the two, following "Somewhere in Stockholm" from Bergling's albumStories.[137]
In March 2018, Bergling posted previews of him working with collaborators such as Bonn,Carl Falk,Joe Janiak, Albin Nedler, and more. The songs previewed during these clips ended up being the tracks that were finished and released as part of the posthumousTim album.
Following Bergling's death that April, news outlets reported that at the time of his death, he had over 200 unreleased songs, some finished and others still in development;[138] it was suggested that his unreleased material comprised some of his best work.[139][140] In August 2018, producer Carl Falk, who co-produced some of the songs onStories in 2015 andAvīci (01) in 2017, stated that he was putting the finishing touches on the Chris Martin collaboration "Heaven" (originally written during theStories sessions) and that it might be posthumously released in a few months along with the third album.[141][142]
In April 2019, it was announced that the albumTim, which Bergling was working on before his death, would be released on 6 June 2019, with the lead single, "SOS", released on 10 April.[143] All proceeds from the sale of the album went towards theTim Bergling Foundation.[12] Later that month, it was announced that anofficial biography of Bergling, written by Måns Mosesson, would be released in 2020, with the proceeds also going to the foundation.[144] The second single from the album, titled "Tough Love", was released on 9 May 2019,[145] followed by a music video on 14 May.[146] The third single, "Heaven", was released on 6 June; it was co-written byColdplay's lead singerChris Martin. Martin spoke about the collaboration on his social media, stating that he co-wrote the song with Bergling back in 2014, but it was completed by Bergling in 2016. The music video used old clips of Bergling on vacation inMadagascar after his retirement from touring in 2016 and was released on 24 June 2019.[147] On 28 June,Billboard cited "Heaven" as one of the best dance songs of the first half of 2019.[148] "Fades Away" was released on 5 December as the fourth and final single, after being performed in Stockholm at the Avicii Tribute Concert for Mental Health.[149]
On 24 January 2020, another posthumous single by Avicii was released: "Forever Yours", a collaboration withKygo andSandro Cavazza. The song was previously performed by Bergling during his final tour in 2016, starting withUltra Music Festival. Kygo and Sandro Cavazza performed the song together live at the Avicii Tribute Concert, held at Stockholm'sFriends Arena in December 2019.[150] On 15 February,Tiësto premiered three unreleased Avicii singles on the latest episode of his radio showTiësto's Club Life: a fifth collaboration withAloe Blacc called "I Wanna Be Free", a fifth collaboration with Sandro Cavazza called "We Burn", and a fifth collaboration withWyclef Jean called "Now That We Found Love".[151]
On October 30, 2020, the American singerCam released the track "The Otherside", co-written by Avicii. The version included in the album ofthe same name does not feature the DJ's original instrumentals, as they were removed to align with the album's country style, but it retains the lyrics written by Avicii.[152]
A biography titledTim – The Official Biography of Avicii was released in the UK and North America on 16 November 2021.[153][154] Kitty Empire ofThe Guardian described it as "An honest study of the shy young man turned superstar DJ".[155] A second tribute concert was held at theAvicii Arena on 1 December.[156] A third tribute concert, titled "Together for a Better Day", was also held at the Avicii Arena on 6 December 2023.[157]
On June 14, aphotobook about Avicii’s childhood and life was released by Swedish author Måns Mosesson, the same author ofAvicii’s biography. The profits from the photobook sales were directed to theTim Bergling Foundation.[162]
On December 31, 2024,Netflix released Avicii's final live performance, titledAvicii: My Last Show, which took place on August 28, 2016, at theUshuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel. The performance was launched simultaneously with the global release of the documentaryAvicii: I'm Tim.[163]
On February 14, 2025, the single "Forever Yours (Tim's 2016 Ibiza Version)" was released. The song was already finished in 2016, but since the documentary was released, the pressure to release the song was higher.[164] A "Creative Journey" video was posted on the same day in tandem to the song's release. It featured rare studio footage of Bergling listening to the demo with friends and performing it on his last concert atUshuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel.[165]
Bergling's early work wasdeep house andprogressive house, usually based on a four-chord structure, sub-bass and a simple synth melody.[2] His debut studio albumTrue featured a blending of music genres, includingfolktronica.[167] While making the album, Bergling wanted to fuse the electronic music genre with soul, funk, blues, folk and country, as he felt that EDM had become too focused on "dirty drops".[168] Its first single, "Wake Me Up", is afolk music crossover, which, as noted by Katie Bain ofThe Observer, "tapped into the market potential of mixing EDM and country, a template many artists have since recreated".[169] AVariety editor commented that Bergling's "distinct sound" was made up of "soaring synths and keening melodies".[167] Musicians such asKygo,Skrillex,Diplo,Gryffin,Martin Garrix andCheat Codes have cited him as a source of inspiration.[170]
Philanthropy
After achieving widespread commercial success, Bergling began working with his manager and executive producer Arash Pournouri to startHouse for Hunger in 2011,[171] a charity dedicated to alleviating global hunger. The pair wanted to showcase the giving spirit fostered by the house music community. Bergling explained, "You have to give something back. I am so fortunate to be in the position where I can actually do that. I feel lucky every day when I wake up and am able to do what I love and make a living." In addition to donating $1 million to Feeding America, a charity founded byJohn van Hengel, House for Hunger has helped fund the efforts of The Feed Foundation, started byLaura Bush,[172] allowing it to distribute over 2 million school meals throughout Africa.[173] He also supported campaigns against human trafficking and gang violence when he directed the videos for his tracks "For a Better Day" and "Pure Grinding".[174]
Personal life
Bergling enjoyed playingWorld of Warcraft in his youth. He developedanxiety at a young age,[14][155] with his parents taking him to a therapist at the age of 14.[14]
Relationships
From 2011 to 2013, Bergling dated Emily Goldberg, an American student who died on 3 April 2024.[175] He then dated Racquel Bettencourt, a Canadian student and model; they lived together inCalifornia before splitting up in late 2014.[14] On the podcastSofia with an F, Bettencourt revealed she and Bergling got back together in the beginning of 2016. The reunion resulted in a pregnancy that wasmiscarried.[176] At the time of his death, he was dating Tereza Kacerova, a model; they had decided to keep their relationship private.[14]
Health
In January 2012, Bergling was hospitalised for 11 days inNew York City withacute pancreatitis caused by excessive alcohol use.[14][177] Between 2012 and 2014, Bergling was prescribedopioids for the pain caused by his pancreatitis, includingOxyContin andVicodin, to which he developed an addiction. In 2014, Bergling underwent surgery and had both hisappendix andgallbladder removed. In 2015, Bergling entered arehab facility, later announcing in March 2016 that he would be retiring from touring.[14] In the 2017 documentaryAvicii: True Stories, directed by his close and longtime collaborator Levan Tsikurishvili, Bergling spoke about his physical and mental health struggles. The documentary depicts the pressure from his management to continue performing live in spite of his objections.[178]
Following his retirement, Bergling took uptranscendental meditation, which he credited with reducing his anxiety, and started seeing a therapist.[155]
High pressure from management and fans to continue touring and maintaining his public persona were cited as key reasons for his suicide, according toGQ. In a statement from the article, "Bergling feared upsetting fans. He was sensitive to the 'flood ofhate mail' after cancelled gigs."[179]
His manager, Arash Pournouri, admitted that he knew of Bergling's anxieties but refused to label them a problem of mental health. Furthermore, his management team only became aware of his painkiller addiction in November 2014. They staged two interventions for him, neither of which were successful. Pournouri rescheduled many shows in order for Bergling to recover in Stockholm. Having discovered his client's alcohol issues earlier, Pournouri set out to forbid his promoters from offering him alcohol, clearing out his minibar and focusing on his recovery. Problems worsened, however, when there was no crew to "keep tabs" on Bergling during his recuperation.[179] Pournouri met with Bergling's father Klas in 2014 to share concerns about Bergling's health.[14]
Against his client's wishes, Pournouri claimed to have cancelled two more world tours, which would have added up to approximately US$2.9 million in profits.[179]
Death
Skogskyrkogården, the cemetery where Bergling's funeral service was heldA plaque in memory of Bergling, amongst others, at theHedvig Eleonora Church where he is buried
Bergling died on 20 April 2018 inMuscat, Oman, where he was on holiday, at the age of 28.[180] No cause of death was immediately given.[48][181][182] On 21 April, theOmani authorities stated that there was "no criminal suspicion" or evidence of foul play in Bergling's death.[180][183] A day before Bergling's death, a friend expressed concern about his mental state to his father Klas.[14]TMZ later reported that he died bysuicide, using a glass shard to cut himself.[184][185] On 26 April, his family released an open letter stating:[11][186]
Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers to existential questions. An over-achieving perfectionist who travelled and worked hard at a pace that led to extreme stress. When he stopped touring, he wanted to find a balance in life to be able to be happy and to do what he loved most – music. He really struggled with thoughts about Meaning, Life, Happiness. He could now not go on any longer. He wanted to find peace. Tim was not made for the business machine he found himself in; he was a sensitive guy who loved his fans but shunned the spotlight. Tim, you will forever be loved and sadly missed. The person you were and your music will keep your memory alive. We love you, The Family
On 22 May, Bergling's family announced plans for a private funeral with "the people who were closest to him".[187] A funeral service was held on 8 June at the cemeterySkogskyrkogården in Stockholm.[188][189] He was buried atHedvig Eleonora Church in June 2018.[190][191]
Tributes
From fellow musicians
On 22 April 2018, American bandOneRepublic paid tribute to Bergling by performing his hit single "Wake Me Up" during their show inMumbai.[192]
On April 28, 2024, DJNicky Romero dedicated his radio show,Protocol Radio, to playing Avicii's music. The one-hour program featured songs and remixes exclusively by Avicii.[193]
On 20 May 2018, American DJ duoThe Chainsmokers and American singer-songwriterHalsey paid tribute to Bergling at the 2018Billboard Music Awards before presenting the winner of the Top Hot 100 Song.[194] The Chainsmokers' Drew Taggart said, "His passing was a great loss for the music world and for us. He was an artist who inspired so many in so many ways, and simply put, he meant so much to us and everyone in the EDM community." Halsey then delivered an emotional discussion about mental health and emphasized the need for people to love and support each other.[195]
On 21 May 2018, Tiësto played a medley of Bergling's songs at EDC Las Vegas.Aloe Blacc joined him on stage to perform "Wake Me Up".[196]
The 2018 edition ofTomorrowland saw several tributes to Bergling fromAxwell Λ Ingrosso,Don Diablo,Nicky Romero,Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike,Zedd andKygo, the latter mentioning that Bergling was his biggest influence in EDM.[200] All DJs honoured his memory by playing his music in their sets during the festival which Michael Thivaios (Like Mike) described as Bergling's home. Thivaios continued calling Bergling "one of [his] best friends" and "a great inspiration".[201][202] Avicii's songs "Levels" and "Wake Me Up" came second and eighth respectively in Tomorrowland 2018's most played songs.[203][204]
On 27 July, Russian DJ and producerArty released a song called "Tim" as a tribute to Bergling. "I made a track for my friend", he stated. "I just want to honor his memory. I want to do something right, and in my opinion it's the right thing to do."[205]
During the 2018 version ofCreamfields, Kaleidoscope Orchestra performed a special tribute performance, where they played out Bergling's greatest dance hits.[206][207]
On 12 October,Vicetone released a song called "South Beach", which they stated was influenced by Bergling's music and was one of the first songs they created, and that they decided to finish and release it as a tribute.[208]
A fan memorial gathering inStockholm the day after his death
On 21 April 2018, a collection of Avicii's songs were played on thecarillon withinDom Tower of Utrecht, performed by Malgosia Fiebig.[213]
On 21 May 2018, during the first night of the finale of the fourteenth season of reality television singing competition showThe Voice, coachAlicia Keys performed Avicii's "Wake Me Up" as part of her coach duet with the last remaining artist on her team,Britton Buchanan. During the performance, Keys made a verbal tribute to Avicii.
On 16 November 2018, Bergling's family organised a public memorial service at theHedvig Eleonora Church in Stockholm. The service saw a huge turn-out, with hundreds of fans filling the church to mourn and pay their respects. The service featured an orchestral choir which played music linking to events in Bergling's life and ended with a version of his 2013 number one hit "Wake Me Up". One fan described it as a "very moving" service and "a great tribute to Bergling".[214]
A giant book in tribute to Avicii (top left of image) as part of theTomorrowland mainstage in 2019
The 2019 edition of the music festivalTomorrowland included a tribute in the decoration of the Main stage of the festival.[217]
In September 2019, it was announced that a tribute concert would be held in Stockholm on 5 December 2019 in memory of Avicii. The concert sawDavid Guetta,Kygo,Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike,Nicky Romero, andLaidback Luke headlining, along with a number of vocalists that Tim had worked with playing alongside a 30-piece orchestra, fulfilling one of Avicii's dreams for his music in a live setting. All profits went to theTim Bergling Foundation.[218] Following the start of ticket sales, the concert sold out in 30 minutes.[219]
In October of the same year,Madame Tussauds revealed a wax figure of Avicii.[220]
In the same month, it was announced that the video gameAVICII Invector would be released. Gameplay includes single and multiplayer versions where players would use the game to recreate 25 of his hits throughout the years. A portion of the profits are set to be donated to theTim Bergling Foundation.[221][222][223] Rebecca May ofThe Guardian rated the game 4/5 stars, describing it as "an immersive musical tribute".[224]
On 20 April 2023, five years after his death,Tomorrowland paid tribute to Bergling by playing his biggest hits and the albumStories the whole day onOne World Radio.[229]
Legacy
"Standing Waves" a statue inHumlegården, designed by Adèle Essle Zeiss and Liva Isakson in honor of Avicii.[230][231]
Music innovation
Many artists in the EDM genre have cited Avicii as influences on their work, many of whom paid tribute to him after his death.Alan Walker andDubVision described him as an "icon" inEDM.[232] Norwegian DJKygo cited Avicii as "[his] biggest inspiration and the reason why [he] started making electronic music." Other artists such asDiplo,Sebastian Ingrosso,Felix Jaehn, andMartin Garrix, the last of whom collaborated with Avicii on his 2015 single "Waiting for Love", have also cited him as a source of inspiration, with the songs "Levels" and "Seek Bromance" being specifically mentioned as points of inspiration.[233]
On the day of his death,The Washington Post wrote an article citing Avicii as a pioneer artist in the attempt to bridge the gap between country and electronic music, crediting his 2013 hits "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother" as good examples of this movement.[234] Avicii is also credited for influencing other attempts at continuing this genre crossover, including songs such asZedd's "The Middle" andHailee Steinfeld's "Let Me Go".[235]
Avicii also influenced a number of mainstream artists outside electronic music.Nile Rodgers said that in terms of melody writing, Avicii was "maybe one of the best, if notthe best I've ever worked with."[236]Mike Einziger ofIncubus said "Some of the work we did together is some of the music I'm most proud of in my whole life."[237]Dan Reynolds ofImagine Dragons said "working with [Avicii] was one of my favorite collaborative moments."[238]Charlie Puth said that Avicii was "The man who really opened my eyes as to what my productions could one day sound like."[238]Eric Clapton, who never publicly worked with Avicii, said he was "Inspired by Avicii", and dedicated a song off his Christmas album,Happy Xmas, to him.[239]
On 21 November 2019,Billboard named Avicii's 2011 hit "Levels" as one of the one hundred songs which defined the 2010s,[240] whereas his 2013 hit "Wake Me Up" came 13th (and was the highest-charting EDM song[241][242]) on theOfficial Charts Company's chart of the decade.[243]
On 26 March 2019, Bergling's family launched a mental illness and suicide prevention foundation, named after the late DJ, theTim Bergling Foundation. The foundation works internationally and aims to educate people and businesses on the issues surrounding suicide and mental health. The foundation also works to tackle climate change, manage business development, and conserve endangered species. Since 2019 people in the music industry are claiming Avicii's death has raised awareness of mental health in the industry.[244][245][246][247]
On 9 June 2020, it was announced that an Avicii Tribute Museum would open in Stockholm in the summer of 2021.[248] The renamed Avicii Experience was opened in February 2022 byPrince Carl Phillip andPrincess Sofia, alongside Bergling's father Klas, in Space Stockholm, a new digital culture centre nearSergels torg.[249][250][251] The museum features reconstructions of Bergling's childhood bedroom and Los Angeles mansion, as well as offering recordings of Avicii's most popular work and the ability to remix them, as well as unreleased music.[250]
The museum was the idea of Bergling's parents, who wanted to give fans a place to remember and celebrate the work of their late son and learn about his process for creating music. The interactive museum also includes exhibitions from various stages in Bergling's life, including a simulation of the high-paced lifestyle he experienced before his retirement from touring in 2016, which are designed to give visitors an understanding of the health issues faced by the star. Exhibitions are also dedicated to raising the awareness of mental health problems in young people and the wider music industry.[252][253]
Avicii was depicted on a Swedish postage stamp issued 15 January 2015 byPostNord Sverige.[256]
Avicii was named in the 2015 song "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" by American singer and songwriterMike Posner. Posner recounts the event when he went to an Avicii show in Ibiza and got a mystery pill from someone, with the starting lyrics "I took a pill in Ibiza / To show Avicii I was cool". The song was made in the week they wrote a song together in Sweden called "Stay with You".[257]
^Vultaggio, Maria (20 April 2018)."What is pancreatitis? Why Avicii stopped performing in 2016".Newsweek.Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved2 February 2021.Swedish DJ Avicii died Friday in Oman, a statement from his rep told Billboard. He was 28 years old. A cause of death was not immediately known, but the DJ previously suffered from pancreatitis.
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