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Swedish DJ Avicii has died in Oman at 28

AS the world mourns Avicii, music icon Nile Rodgers has revealed the DJ’s battles with alcohol — and their last gig together.

The Sun and with Kathy McCabe
5 min read
April 22, 2018 - 1:49AM
News Corp Australia Network
Swedish DJ Avicii dies aged 28

AVICII battled with his health in the years leading up to his shock death.

The Swedish DJ, whose real name was Tim Bergling, passed away at the age of 28 in Muscat, Oman earlier today.

While the circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery, with friends revealing he was visiting Oman for the first time, the star has been open about his health struggles in the past.

For many fans, the first indication that he had been battling poor health came in 2013, when he was rushed to hospital with acute pancreatitis after arriving in Australia for a headlining tour of the Future Music Festival.

The producer and model spent six days in a Brisbane hospital, where he reportedly convinced doctors to delay a gall bladder operation to treat his condition so he could rejoin the festival circuit.

“It was the most painful thing,’’ he said at the time. “I am lucky that this is an acute case, not chronic and not life-threatening and I think I will do all right with the pain medication.’’

He would later shock fans in 2016 by announcing his retirement from touring.

Legendary producer Nile Rodgers said his last performance with Avicii — about three years ago — upset him because he realised that Avicii had been drinking again.

“It was a little bit sad to me because he had promised me he would stop drinking, and when I saw him he was drunk that night. And I was like, ‘Whoa. Dude. C’mon. What are you doing? What’s going on? You said that that was done,”’ Rodgers recalled.

“We did a show and I was a little upset. I didn’t even stick around for his performance because it was breaking my heart. But we still had a great time. It was wonderful — we were that close.”

The circumstances surrounding Avicii’s death are unclear.
The circumstances surrounding Avicii’s death are unclear.

THE DARK SIDE OF DJ STARDOM

Avicii wrote in an emotional post on his website at the time of his retirement: “Two weeks ago, I took the time to drive across the US with my friends and team, to just look and see and think about things in a new way.”

“It really helped me realise that I needed to make the change that I’d been struggling with for a while.”

In a subsequent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained his decision to step back from touring.

“To me it was something I had to do for my health,” he said.

“The scene was not for me. It was not the shows and not the music. It was always the other stuff surrounding it that never came naturally to me.

“All the other parts of being an artist. I’m more of an introverted person in general.

“It was always very hard for me. I took on board too much negative energy, I think.”

In an oft-discussed interview with GQ Magazine, Avicii described his alcoholism that led to acute pancreatitis as stemming from being “so nervous,” and “(getting) into a habit (of drinking), because you rely on that encouragement and self-confidence you get from alcohol, and then you get dependent on it.”

DJ Avicii performing at the 2014 Future Music Festival.
DJ Avicii performing at the 2014 Future Music Festival.

In response to Avicii’s retirement announcement, veteran DJ/producer Laidback Luke, who signed the then unknown Swedish teenager to his label to release his first big hit Ryu, wrote an op-ed for Billboard about “the dark side of DJ stardom”.

“The first few years of heavy touring can have a major impact on a person’s life, health and sanity,” Laidback Luke, real name Lucas Cornelis van Scheppingen, wrote.

“DJs on tour average about four hours of sleep per night, and with drinking, ­afterparties, adulation and everything that comes with it, it’s easy to lose oneself.

“They make many new friends — at least for the moment — and some find another new friend: alcohol or whichever vice helps them deal with feeling displaced all the time. The pressures of being on the road as a DJ are constant and relentless. Unlike pop, rock or rap, they don’t tour in cycles — they’re always on tour, virtually every week, sometimes every day.”

He added that when he saw Avicii in August 2015, his friend looked “terrible” and “oh so tired”, and he wondered if his friend would join “the infamous ‘27 club’ of music and film stars who died at that age. It sounds horrible but it’s the truth, and I can’t take back the ­overwhelming sense of frustration I felt.”

Avicii was one of the world’s most iconic DJ’s.
Avicii was one of the world’s most iconic DJ’s.

FANS SHOCKED BY SUDDEN DEATH

Avicii’s publicist Diana Baron announced in a statement this morning that the musician was in the Oman capital of Muscat at the time of his death.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” the statement read, Variety reported.

“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.”

Devastated fans took to social media to express their shock, some revealing they met him in Oman just days before he died.

A popular beach club in Muscat, the Muscat Hills Resort, uploaded a photo of the star with guests just three days ago, with the DJ seen smiling and relaxed as he happily posed with his adoring fans.

WORLDWIDE SUCCESS

Avicii was one of the few DJs capable of a worldwide arena tour, playing massive outdoor headline shows in Australia alongside regular festival slots.

He won two MTV Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award and earned two Grammy nominations.

He had six top 10 singles in Australia, most notably the 2013 chart-topper Wake Me Up.

His debut album True also reached No. 1 on the ARIA charts the same year.

His death comes just days after he was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for top dance/electronic album for his EP Avicii (01).

He became one of the world’s highest paid DJs; in 2015, Forbes ranked him the sixth-highest-paid DJ in the world with an annual income of roughly $US19 million ($24.7 million).

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IN MOURNING

Celebrities and music icons have flooded social media with outpourings of grief over the death.

US singer Nick Jonas performed a cover of Avicii’s biggest hit Wake Me Up during his show in Ohio.

Bergling was part of the wave of DJ-producers, like David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, who broke out on the scene as lead performers in their own right, earning international hits, fame, awards and more like typical pop stars.

Avicii even collaborated with high-profile acts, producing Madonna’s Devil Pray and the Coldplay hits A Sky Full of Stars and Hymn for the Weekend.

Avicii is the subject of the 2017 Levan Tsikurishvil documentary Avicii: True Stories, “the untold story behind the artist” which tracks his lightning-fast rise to fame following his 2010 hit Levels.

It also delves into his struggle with the relentless touring schedule that comes with being one of the world’s most in-demand DJs.

Swedish producer and DJ Avicii. Picture: Getty
Swedish producer and DJ Avicii. Picture: Getty

“It got to a point where it was too much,” he said in the documentary, which shows him working on a laptop from a hospital bed hooked up to IV drips.

“I don’t really like being the centre of attention.”

In September 2017 Bergling discussed his health troubles in an interview with Rolling Stone, lamenting “Why didn’t I stop the ship earlier?”

“Parties can be amazing, but it’s very easy to become too attached to partying in places like [Spanish island] Ibiza,” he said. “You become lonely and get anxieties. It becomes toxic.”

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/swedish-dj-avicii-has-died-in-oman-at-28/news-story/34ea1250653304a09f374f21aed5f2cb