Avicii

Biography

Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. His music consisted primarily of pop-oriented house music, often blended with other genres such as folk, country, bluegrass, soul, and blues. He is considered one of the most popular and successful electronic dance music (EDM) artists of all time and is credited with "leading EDM into the mainstream".

Avicii began posting remixes on Internet forums when he was 16, and in May 2007, he was signed to the Dejfitts Plays record label. After winning a BBC Radio 1 competition in 2008, he signed a talent management agreement with Arash Pournouri. "Levels" (2011) was his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut studio album, True (2013) peaked in the top 10 in more than 15 countries and topped international charts. The lead single, "Wake Me Up", became a most-streamed song on Spotify. Both his album Stories (2015) and the extended play (EP) Avīci (01) (2017) reached number one on the Swedish Sverigetopplistan chart. His third and final album, Tim (2019), was released posthumously and reached number one on the Billboard Top Dance Albums chart.

Avicii, a self-described shy person, suffered from anxiety and depression and used alcohol as a coping mechanism. In 2012, Avicii was hospitalized for 11 days in New York City with acute pancreatitis caused by alcoholism. Between 2012 and 2014, to treat pain from the pancreatitis, Avicii was prescribed opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin, to which he developed an addiction. He ignored the advice of doctors, leading to a ruptured appendix and, in March 2014, he underwent surgery to remove his appendix and gallbladder. He entered a drug rehabilitation facility in 2015 after his closest friends and family organized an intervention in Ibiza. Due to these health issues, Avicii announced his retirement from touring in March 2016. He experienced significant anxiety over the possibility of disappointing his fans and in 2018, while on vacation in Muscat, Oman, Avicii died by suicide at the age of 28, using a broken wine bottle to cause "massive bleeding".

Avicii's accolades included four MTV Europe Music Awards, two International Dance Music Awards, one American Music Award, and one Billboard Music Award. He was nominated for a Grammy for his work on "Sunshine" with David Guetta in 2012 and "Levels" in 2013. His nightly fees were estimated at $250,000 or higher.

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