Avicii

Avicii was known to be a heavy alcoholic, and the habit had impacted his health. In 2012, he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and had his gall bladder and appendix removed. Despite the health concerns, he kept touring continuously and risked his mental and physical well-being.

By 2017, he started talking about depression and suicidal thoughts openly. Depression is highly prevalent in artists, and Avicii became one of its latest victims. The pressure and the lack of privacy that fame brought, perhaps, contributed to his failing mental health.

On April 20, 2018, his lifeless body was found in his hotel room near Muscat, Oman. A few days later, his family revealed that he had cut himself and bled to death. With Avicii’s suicide, another bright star of the music industry dimmed forever. The concept of the “tortured artist” had once again made its presence felt. He was 28 years old at the time of his death, but his music shall always remain ageless and immortal.

Avicii was born Tim Bergling, on September 8, 1989, in Stockholm, Sweden, to Klas Bergling and Anki Lidén. His mother was a small-time actor who had appeared in more than 50 Swedish films and TV series. He was one of the four children of his parents and was heavily influenced by his older brother, who also happened to be a musician and DJ.

Avicii started making music at the age of 16. Within a few months, he started posting his music on various online electronic music forums. He remixed a number of classic songs in his early years. His work reached the right people, and he soon started getting approached by well-known music labels. His music resembled that of the popular group ‘Swedish House Mafia,’ and that helped him earn a huge fan following.

Avicii was also inspired by the music of Daft Punk and Steve Angello. He blended deep bass house sounds with melodic sounds. His music was appreciated by DJ Tiësto and Pete Tong. Tiësto introduced Avicii to a number of professional DJs and also set up live shows for him, at small venues.

By 2010, Avicii had started working as a small-time DJ, remixing for artists such as Little Boots and Robyn. Meanwhile, he continued to release his own singles, such as ‘Bromance’ and ‘My Feelings for You.’ ‘Seek Bromance,’ the remixed version of his single ‘Bromance,’ with vocals by Amanda Wilson, was a huge success.

His initial successes got Avicii acquainted with the right people in the music industry. By 2011, he had already finished working on his breakthrough single, ‘Levels.’ The song included vocals from the famous gospel-inspired 60s song ‘Something’s got a Hold on Me’ by Etta James. ‘Levels’ made waves nationally and internationally and established Avicii in the mainstream music arena. The song made its place among the top 10 hits of many European countries and also made waves across the US.

Riding high on the success of ‘Levels,’ Avicii received the surprise of his life when he was approached by superstar DJ David Guetta, who suggested a collaborative track.

The collaboration resulted in the single ‘Sunshine,’ which became an instant international success. It was later nominated for the ‘Grammy’ award for the ‘Best Dance Recording.’

The same year, he also faced a slight controversy. A portion of his single ‘Fade into Darkness’ was allegedly used without his permission by Leona Lewis, on her single ‘Collide.’ Leona did not credit Avicii, and the entire matter went to court. Subsequently, Leona’s lawyer offered Avicii a collaborative album with his client. Avicii accepted the offer, and the matter was resolved.

At the 2012 ‘Ultra Music Festival’ in Miami, Avicii released his new track, ‘Girl Gone Wild’ with Madonna. At the same event, he released another single, ‘Superlove’ with Lenny Kravitz. The same year, he gained two million likes on his ‘Facebook’ page. Following this, he released a track titled ‘Two Million’ and made it free for download on the music-streaming platform ‘SoundCloud.’