Avicii

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Avicii
Avicii wearing a red flannel shirt over a gray t-shirt. He wears a black baseball cap, facing backwards. It bears the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks logo.
Avicii in 2014
Born
Tim Bergling

(1989-09-08)8 September 1989
Stockholm, Sweden
Died20 April 2018(2018-04-20) (aged 28)
Cause of deathSuicide by bleeding
Resting placeHedvig Eleonora Church Cemetery
Östermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Other names
  • Tim Berg
  • Tim Lidén
  • Tom Hangs
  • Timberman
Occupations
  • Musician
  • DJ
  • remixer
  • record producer
Years active2006–2018
Parents
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
Labels
Websiteavicii.com
Signature

Tim Bergling (Swedish: [tɪm ²bærjlɪŋ]; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (/əˈvi/), was a Swedish musician, DJ, remixer, and record producer.[2]

At 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal.[3] 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 ten in more than fifteen countries and topped international dance charts;[4][5][6][7] the lead single, "Wake Me Up", topped most music markets in Europe and reached number four in the United States.

In 2015, Bergling released his second studio album, Stories, and in 2017 he released an EP, Avīci (01).[8] His catalogue also included the singles "I Could Be the One" with Nicky Romero, "You Make Me", "X You", "Hey Brother", "Addicted to You", "The Days", "The Nights", "Waiting for Love", "Without You" and "Lonely Together". Bergling was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on "Sunshine" with David Guetta in 2012[9] and "Levels" in 2013. Several music publications credit Bergling as among the DJs who ushered electronic music into Top 40 radio in the early 2010s.[10][11]

Bergling retired from touring in 2016 due to health problems, having suffered stress and poor mental health for several years.[12] On 20 April 2018, Avicii was found dead in Muscat, Oman. On 1 May, it was reported that the cause of his death was suicide from self-inflicted injuries from a broken wine bottle. He was buried on 8 June in his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden.

Death[change | change source]

Bergling died on 20 April 2018 near Muscat, Oman, at the age of 28. No cause of death was immediately given.[13][14][15] On 21 April, the Omani police stated that there was "no criminal suspicion" or evidence of foul play in Bergling's death.[16] On 26 April, his family released an open letter stating:

"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 Tim Bergling Family"[12][17]

On 1 May, TMZ reported that the cause of death was a suicide due to self-inflicted injuries with a broken wine bottle,[18][19] with Avicii eventually dying of blood loss.[20] On 22 May, Bergling's family announced plans for a private funeral with "the people who were closest to him".[21] Bergling was buried on 8 June at the Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm.[22]

Tributes[change | change source]

On 20 May, American DJ duo, The Chainsmokers, and American singer-songwriter, Halsey, paid tribute to Avicii at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards before presenting the winner of the Top Hot 100 Song.[23] 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.[24]

On 27 May, at BBC's Biggest Weekend, Rita Ora, Avicii's most recent collaborator, paid tribute to the late DJ, describing him as "a really good friend" who "changed [her] life".[25][26] A similar tribute was also paid by Ora during King's Day and Capital's Summertime Ball.[27] The 2018 edition of Tomorrowland saw several tributes to Avicii from Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Don Diablo, Nicky Romero, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Zedd and Kygo, the latter mentioning that Avicii was his big influence in EDM.[28] All DJs honoured his memory by playing his music in their sets during the festival which Michael Thivaios (Like Mike) described as Avicii's home. Thivaios continued calling Avicii "one of [his] best friends" and "a great inspiration".[29][30] In addition many other artists including Eric Prydz, Imagine Dragons, Calvin Harris, and Zedd also paid tribute to Avicii on Twitter.[31] On 22 April 2018, American band OneRepublic payed tribute to Avicii by performing his hit single "Wake Me Up" during their show in Mumbai.[32] On the same day, Tiesto played a medley of Avicii's songs at EDC Las Vegas. Aloe Blacc joined him on stage to perform "Wake Me Up".[33] On 27 July, Russian DJ/Producer Arty released a song called "Tim" as a tribute to Avicii. "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."[34]

On 16 November, Avicii's family organised a public memorial service at the Hedvig Eleonora Church in Stockholm. The service saw a huge fan turn-out, with hundreds of fans filling the church to mourn pay their respects. The service featured an orchestral choir which played music linking to events in Avicii'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 Avicii".[35]

References[change | change source]

  1. Halperin, Shirley (21 April 2018). "Geffen Records' Neil Jacobson on the Power of Avicii and Plans for Unreleased Music (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. "AVICII: Biography". The DJ List. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  3. McIver, Joel (22 April 2018). "Avicii obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  4. Avicii – True. Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  5. Avicii – True Archived 2017-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. Danishcharts.com. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  6. Avicii – True. Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  7. Avicii – Chart history Archived 2017-06-26 at the Wayback Machine. Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  8. Rishty, David (10 August 2017). "Avicii Breaks Musical Silence With 'Avīci' EP: Listen". Billboard.
  9. Avicii. "Grammy Awards 2012". Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  10. Gottlieb, Jed (21 April 2018). "Avicii's hits brought electronic dance music to mainstream". Boston Herald. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  11. "Top DJ Avicii dies at 28". The Straits Times. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Aviciis familj i öppet brev: Han orkade inte längre" (in Swedish). SVT Culture. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  13. Aswad, Jem (20 April 2018). "Avicii Dies at 28". Variety. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  14. Vultaggio, Maria (20 April 2018). "What is pancreatitis? Why Avicii stopped performing in 2016". Newsweek. Retrieved 20 April 2018. 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.
  15. "Avicii är död". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 20 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  16. Nyren, Erin (21 April 2018). "Police Say 'No Criminal Suspicion' in Avicii's Death (Report)". Variety. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. "Avicii's family reveals 'he could not go on any longer' in new statement". The Independent. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  18. "Avicii's cause of death revealed: Report". Consequence of Sound. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  19. "Avicii's tragic cause of death revealed after devastated family say DJ took his own life". Daily Mirror. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  20. "Avicii cause of death reported as 'blood loss' as family confirm DJ died by suicide". 1 May 2018.
  21. Kaplan, Ilana (22 May 2018). "Avicii's family announce funeral plans saying it will host only 'the people who were closest to him'". The Independent. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  22. "Swedish DJ Avicii buried in private funeral". 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  23. "Awards 2018: Chainsmokers and Halsey Honor Avicii At BMAs". Variety Magazine. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  24. "Watch The Chainsmokers & Halsey Pay Tribute To Avicii at the 2018 BMAs". Billboard. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  25. Savage, Mark (27 May 2018). "Biggest Weekend: Rita Ora's Avicii tribute". BBC News. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  26. "Rita Ora pays emotional tribute to Avicii at BBC's Biggest Weekend – NME". NME. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  27. "WATCH: Rita Ora Pays Emotional Tribute To Avicii".
  28. Theresa Waldrop. "DJ Kygo calls Avicii 'a true musical genius' in emotional Coachella tribute". CNN.
  29. "Avicii Remembered by Axwell & Ingrosso, Hardwell and More at Tomorrowland 2018". www.billboard.com.
  30. "Multiple Avicii tributes at Tomorrowland honour the late EDM star". 23 July 2018.
  31. Ritschel, Chelsea (20 April 2018). "Avicii dead: Fellow musicians post tributes to the late DJ". The Independent. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  32. "As a tribute to Avicii, One Republic performs Wake Me Up in Mumbai during their maiden concert – Hollywood News".
  33. "Relive Tiësto's Emotional Avicii Tribute Set In Full From EDC 2018 [VIDEO]". 21 May 2018.
  34. "ARTY Honors Avicii's Legacy & Generosity With Uplifting Melody On 'Tim': Exclusive".
  35. "Avicii's father honours DJ's life and legacy at emotional memorial attended by hundreds of fans". 17 November 2018.