Gone way too soon.
Superstar DJ and producer Avicii (real name Tim Bergling) has died aged just 28. The news was announced in a statement from his rep.
The statement read:
“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.”
In 2016 Avicii retired from touring, citing health reasons. In 2014 he had his gallbladder and appendix removed, and also suffered from acute pancreatitis, in part due to alcohol problems. It is unclear as to whether or not this played a part in his death but we will keep you updated as the news breaks.
One of EDM’s rock stars, Avicii is a name often mentioned in the same breath as the likes of David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Alesso and Calvin Harris. Known for his mega hits “Levels” and “Wake Me Up!”, he was nominated for a Grammy Award in both 2011 (for “Levels”) and 2012 (for his “Sunshine” collaboration with David Guetta), and just days before his death was nominated for a Billboard Award in the Top Dance/Electronic category for his EP Avīci (01).
A constant presence on the Forbes Highest-Paid DJ list, Avicii was a busy man and one who was compensated for his art very well. And while you can add to this the income from over 11 billion streams on Spotify, at the heart of it Avicii was always about the music first.
The first EDM DJ to stage a worldwide arena tour, he soundtracked so many peoples greatest nights and greatest festival experiences.
Neil Jacobson, President of Geffen Records, posted a tribute to Avicii on his Instagram and pointed out that one of the best things about the talented producer was his incredible sense of melody.
Aside from working with the likes of Madonna, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams and many other big names, Avicii was someone who respected talent of all statures. One name in particular he was a fan of was Sandro Cavazza, who he collaborated with on the song “Without You”.
JOE actually sat down with Sandro just two days before his friend’s death and, he told us how his relationship with Avicii came to be:
“I was poor, busking my way through LA., songwriting everyday, and eating oatmeal for two years and me and a friend sent some tracks to Avicii’s camp – we’re all Swedish so we sort of knew them – and out of 2000 songs he was sent for the Stories album he chose two of ours. That was the start of my relationship with Tim and from then when we were writing in the studio together we just clicked.”
R.I.P. Avicii, you will be sorely missed.
