Should you had been anyplace close to a dance flooring between 2011 and 2018, you’ve heard Avicii‘s music. Now, years after his passing, followers of the Swedish producer and DJ are prepared for a extra intimate take a look at his life with Netflix’s Avicii — I’m Tim. However forward of the documentary, many are nonetheless questioning: what was Avicii’s reason behind dying?
Avicii, born Tim Bergling, remodeled digital dance music via chart-topping hits like “Wake Me Up,” “Ranges,” and “Hey Brother.” From humble beginnings making music in his Stockholm bed room to headlining main festivals worldwide, Avicii’s rise to fame was nothing wanting meteoric. By age 16, Bergling was already posting his remixes on digital music boards.
His breakthrough got here in 2011 with “Ranges,” an instantaneous membership traditional that sampled Etta James and earned him worldwide acclaim. However it was his 2013 album, True, that actually showcased his progressive spirit, mixing EDM with sudden genres like bluegrass and people music. The outcome was “Wake Me Up,” that includes Aloe Blacc’s vocals, which topped charts in over 20 nations.
Regardless of his industrial success—which included Grammy nominations, tons of of reside exhibits, and collaborations with everybody from Madonna to Coldplay—Bergling struggled with life within the highlight, and his sudden dying in 2018 would shock followers and fellow musicians alike.
What was Avicii’s reason behind dying?
Bergling was discovered lifeless on April 20, 2018, close to Muscat, Oman, the place he had been on trip. He was 28 years outdated. The Omani police initially reported “no felony suspicion” or proof of foul play within the dying.
On Could 1, 2018, TMZ reported that the reason for dying was suicide attributable to self-inflicted accidents with a damaged wine bottle, with Bergling in the end dying of blood loss. His household later held a personal funeral, and he was buried on June 8, 2018, on the Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm.
Within the days following his dying, his household launched an announcement that provided some deeper perception into his private struggles. “Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile creative soul looking for solutions to existential questions. An overachieving perfectionist who traveled and labored exhausting at a tempo that led to excessive stress,” their assertion learn. “When he stopped touring, he wished to discover a steadiness in life to be joyful and be capable of do what he cherished most – music. He actually struggled with ideas about Which means, Life, Happiness. He couldn’t go on any longer. He wished to seek out peace.”
Their assertion continued: “Tim was not made for the enterprise machine he discovered himself in; he was a delicate man who cherished his followers however shunned the highlight. Tim, you’ll perpetually be cherished and sadly missed. The particular person you had been and your music will preserve your reminiscence alive.”
The years earlier than his dying had proven indicators of mounting stress. In 2016, Avicii shocked followers by saying his retirement from touring. He had been open about his well being challenges, together with acute pancreatitis, which docs partly attributed to extreme ingesting. His grueling tour schedule—typically performing 250 exhibits per yr—had taken a extreme toll on each his bodily and psychological well being.
The 2017 documentary Avicii: True Tales, launched simply months earlier than his dying, revealed the extreme stress he confronted. Footage confirmed him working from hospital beds and fighting the calls for of fixed touring. Regardless of stepping again from reside performances, he continued to supply music, releasing the EP “Avīci (01)” in 2017.
Following his dying, his household established the Tim Bergling Basis, which works with psychological well being and suicide prevention organizations. His remaining recordings had been launched posthumously in 2019 on the album TIM, with proceeds going to the inspiration. The album featured collaborations with artists like Think about Dragons and Aloe Blacc, and showcases the spirit that made him a pioneer in digital music.
Should you or somebody you understand is experiencing a psychological well being disaster, assist is obtainable. Name the Suicide and Disaster Lifeline at 988 at no cost and confidential counseling.