Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The DJ will be remembered for club hits like Levels, Wake Me Up and Hey Brother
Swedish DJ Avicii, one of the world's biggest dance music stars, has died in Oman at the age of 28.
Avicii's club anthems include Wake Me Up, Levels, and recently, Lonely Together with Rita Ora.
His representative said in a statement: "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii.
"The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time."
No cause of death was announced, and Avicii's representative said no further statements would be issued.
Image copyright Muscat Hills Resort Image caption One of the last pictures of Avicii (centre), at a tourist resort near Muscat
The electronic dance music (EDM) star, who reportedly made $250,000 (£180,000) a night on tour, had struggled with some health issues in the past, having his gall bladder and appendix removed in 2014.
He announced his retirement from touring in 2016, partly because of the health problems.
"I know I am blessed to be able to travel all around the world and perform, but I have too little left for the life of a real person behind the artist," he said at the time.
Who was Avicii?
One of the biggest names in dance music of the last 10 years, he had a catalogue full of pumping, uplifting, house smashes
He started his career when he won a production competition held by Pete Tong in 2008
He went on to notch up 11 billion streams on Spotify and was the first EDM DJ to stage a worldwide arena tour
He was nominated for two Grammy Awards and had nine UK top 10 singles, including two number ones
He suffered from health problems including acute pancreatitis, in part due to excessive drinking
He later announced a return to the studio, and released a new self-titled EP in 2017.
The EP, Avĩci (01), was nominated for a Billboard music award for top electronic album just days before his death.
As well as working with the likes of Aloe Blacc and Rita Ora, Avicii collaborated with artists including Madonna and Coldplay.
Former Radio 1 DJ Judge Jules, who often performed alongside him, said his biggest achievement was being the first electronic dance star to break America.
"He was the first huge commercial star," Judge Jules told the BBC. "He really became someone who couldn't go out on the street, he was so heavily recognised."
Other leading electronic artists wrote tributes to Bergling after the news of his death.
Skip Twitter post by @CalvinHarris Devastating news about Avicii, a beautiful soul, passionate and extremely talented with so much more to do. My heart goes out to his family. God bless you Tim x — Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) April 20, 2018 Report
Skip Twitter post by @deadmau5 my sincerest and most heartfelt condolences to the friends, fans and families of @Avicii :( Banter aside, nobody can deny what he has accomplished and done for modern dance music and im very proud of him. — Goat lord (@deadmau5) April 20, 2018 Report
Singer Dua Lipa tweeted: "Such sad news to hear about Avicii passing. Too young and way too soon. My condolences go out to his family, friends and fans."
US band Imagine Dragons tweeted: "Working with him was one of my favourite collaborative moments. Far too young. The world was a happier and fuller place with his presence and art."
"No words can describe the sadness I'm feeling right now, hearing about Avicii passing away," offered DJ Zedd, while singer Adam Lambert, who collaborated on the track Lay Me Down, called him "a brilliant composer and a gentle spirit."
An enchanting artist
Analysis by Mark Savage, BBC Music reporter
At Avicii's last ever show in August 2016, one crazed fan climbed a 100ft-high (30m) scaffolding tower, just to get a better view.
That's not something that happens that often during a DJ set (who needs to see the stage anyway?) but it was a testament to Avicii's ability to enchant an audience.
Confetti cannons and bass drops aside, his shows encapsulated the inclusive, everyone-welcome philosophy that led him to collaborate with Coldplay, Nile Rodgers and Antony Hegarty as well as bluegrass and metal musicians in the studio.
That final show, at Ushuaia Ibiza, was a two-hour greatest hits set, featuring crowd pleasers like Levels and Wake Me Up alongside his remixes of Robyn and Dizzee Rascal.
But the DJ, who famously let the cat out of the bag when he revealed most major DJs pre-programmed their sets (comments he later walked back), was also known for dropping unexpected, whimsical tracks into his performances. A bit of Smokey Robinson here; a dash of Chicago there.
He approached it all with an energy and optimism that permeated his own recordings. It's no surprise he was one of the most beloved DJs on the circuit.
Avicii in his own words
To Billboard Magazine in 2016: "When I look back on my life, I think: whoa, did I do that? It was the best time of my life in a sense. It came with a price - a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety for me - but it was the best journey of my life"
Post-retirement on his website: "[Creating music], that is what I live for, what I feel I was born to do... The next stage will be all about my love of making music to you guys. It is the beginning of something new."
Prelude to music video for hit The Nights: "When I was 16, my father said, 'You can do anything you want with your life, you just have to be willing to work hard to get it.' That's when I decided when I die, I want to be remembered for the life I live, not the money I make."
Are you an Avicii fan? Did you meet him or go to one of his gigs? Tell us about it by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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Avicii was an avatar as much as he was a producer. Exploding on to the scene in 2011 with his unabashedly saccharine hit Levels, the Swedish musician born Tim Bergling represented, depending on where one stood, either the best or worst of dance music’s rise in the United States.
Avicii: Chart-topping EDM star dies aged 28 Read more
Just 21 years old at the time of his breakthrough, Bergling was perhaps an unlikely star. All cheekbones and platinum hair, he never seemed entirely comfortable in the spotlight. Friends and colleagues described him as shy and quiet, a sweet kid with the heart of a technician. In interviews, his responses could come off as canned or reticent, as reporters probed for answers from an artist seemingly more comfortable at his computer assembling tracks.
But his music was a different story. Avicii was one of the first EDM stars to arrive on the scene fully formed, and he hit just as dance music was for the first time gaining mainstream popularity in the US. Discovered on MySpace by veteran Dutch producer Laidback Luke, Bergling took his name from the Buddhist term for hell, avīci, and began pumping out an arsenal of hits that quickly defined a burgeoning genre. Tracks including Levels, Fade Into Darkness and Silhouettes were slick, massive, earnest and unapologetically pop-oriented. With them, Avicii paid homage to influences like Swedish House Mafia and Daft Punk while at the same time creating the tension build and release template still being replicated nearly a decade later.
These tracks became anthems for the millions of millennials gathering at massive festivals to partake in the relentlessly escapist electronic music scene of the late aughts. Avicii’s music was wildly popular among a generation coming of age in the post 9/11 era of perpetual war and economic uncertainty. While grunge and hip-hop had been the bluntly angry clarion calls for previous generations, EDM provided these kids with the spirit of celebration and unity that ran counter to headlines on the nightly news. EDM was collective catharsis, and Avicii was, for a time, the biggest artist delivering it. He was anti-politic, existing in a bubble of champagne and confetti bursts, and his music served as a sonic antidepressant for listeners around the world.
It was a dance dance revolution that didn’t sit well with many veteran scenesters who had been plugging away in the electronic music underground since the late 70s. Shiny, populist and capitalist to its core, EDM ran counter to the defining values held dear by many fringe-dwelling old school scenesters. The kids didn’t care. And neither did Avicii, who crisscrossed the globe headlining the world’s biggest dance music and mainstream pop festivals – Tomorrowland, Ultra Miami, EDC Las Vegas, Coachella and more – and signing on for massively lucrative Las Vegas residences just as the city was establishing itself as the United States’ EDM hub.
Through the guidance of his manager Ash Pournouri, a Svengali type with whom Avicii was deeply close, Avicii raised the pay grade for DJs throughout the scene, pushing into the mid six figures for festival and club sets. With his head floating on billboards along the interstate from Los Angeles to Vegas, he was literally the EDM poster boy.
Onstage, Bergling typically sported jeans, a T-shirt and a backwards baseball cap, with his right hand lifted and moving along to the music while he happily shuffled behind the decks. If he was uncomfortable in the media, the stage seemed to be a sweet spot. He once called attention the worst part of his job, saying, “I love what I do, but I’ve never liked being recognized or being in the spotlight.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Avicii performs during the Ultra Music Festival in 2012. Photograph: Jason Nevader/WireImage
His music earned him a pair of Grammy nominations, one for his work on David Guetta’s Sunshine and another in 2013 for Levels. In a 2013 interview, he told me these nominations were the proudest moments of his career. The freshness and crossover appeal of his sound also brought a line of superstars eager for EDM crossover plays to his door. He co-produced a track on Madonna’s 2015 LP Rebel Heart while Sky Full of Stars, a 2014 collaboration with Coldplay, was a worldwide radio hit.
His own biggest smash was 2013’s Wake Me Up, a folk music crossover that was booed by the audience at Ultra when Avicii debuted it at the festival in 2013. No matter. Featuring singer Aloe Blacc, the urgently uplifting track hit No 1 in more than 40 countries and presciently tapped into the market potential of mixing EDM and country, a template many artists have since recreated. The song appeared on his 2013 solo debut album True, which hit the top 10 in more than 15 countries.
But there were signs of wear and tear too. The tour schedule of the Avicii juggernaut was intense, with him hitting clubs and festivals on every continent except Antarctica and often playing two shows a night. Bergling cancelled his headlining set at Ultra 2014 in order to have emergency gallbladder and appendix surgery. (Deadmau5 stepped in to take his place.) A 2013 GQ profile captured the alcohol-soaked hedonism of his life as the boy king of EDM and found Bergling “subsisting on a diet of Red Bull, nicotine, and airport food”. (The article was widely slammed by Avicii fans, with Bergling himself calling it “truly unfair and incorrect”.) In 2014, the addiction rumors were substantiated when Avicii cancelled all of his scheduled concerts due to health problems.
Avicii – a life in pictures Read more
“In the beginning, I’d party a lot … every night was a party,” he told me in 2013. “But I just realized that for me personally, my body and mind couldn’t handle it any more.” He officially retired from performing live in 2016, at the age of 26.
Two years later and Avicii’s publicist has announced that Bergling was found dead on the Arabian peninsula, thousands of miles from his home in Stockholm. “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” Diana Baron said in a statement. “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.”
Mainstream popularity can often feel like ritual sacrifice, as we build people up only to stand captivated as they descend – into addiction, into turmoil, into avīci. Tim Bergling’s story has come to a tragic if not entirely unpredictable end, one at odds with the joy of the music he so expertly produced during his brief but influential moment at the top. It’s hard to mourn to a song like Levels that so adamantly denies the darkness. EDM is about joyful celebration in the face of conflict. Perhaps this was Bergling’s undoing. It is also his legacy.
Swedish DJ Avicii has died in Muscat, Oman, at the age of 28.
His representative said in a statement: “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, 20 April.
“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.”
DJ Calvin Harris tweeted: “Devastating news about Avicii, a beautiful soul, passionate and extremely talented with so much more to do. My heart goes out to his family. God bless you Tim x.”
In an Instagram post, Diplo called him “a real groundbreaker and influencer to all your peers” while Deadmau5 tweeted: “nobody can deny what he has accomplished and done for modern dance music and im very proud of him.”
In 2016, Avicii retired from live performing due to health reasons, having suffered from acute pancreatitis owing, in part, to excessive drinking. In 2014, his gallbladder and appendix had been removed.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Avicii performs at the Summerburst music festival at Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Photograph: Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/AFP/Getty Images
A documentary about the DJ’s career, Avicii: True Stories, was released last autumn, chronicling his final world tour and his health struggles. It features peers such as the DJs Tiesto and David Guetta, as well as musicians Chris Martin and Nile Rodgers. “Everybody knows Avicii but very few people know Tim,” said director Levan Tsikurishvili. “I think this documentary really shows Tim’s struggle and strength of character.”
Avicii last released new music in 2017, with his six-track EP Avīci (01). The album was nominated for a Billboard music award in the category of top dance/electronic album. In his most recent tweet, sent out on 17 April, Avicii thanked Billboard for the nomination.
He was best known for hit songs Wake Me Up and Levels, both of which reached No 1 on the Billboard list of top dance club songs. Twice-nominated for a Grammy award for best dance recording, Avicii’s debut album True, released in 2013, madethe top 10 in 10 different countries.
The DJ, who was born in Stockholm, was regularly ranked in the top five of Forbes’ list of highest-paid DJs before his retirement. In 2012, he became the first electronic musician to headline New York’s esteemed Radio City Music Hall.
In a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, Avicii reflected on his decision to stop touring, explaining how multiple hospitalizations and life on the road began to take their toll. “None of us today can fucking handle our emotions – most of us are running around being reactive,” he said.
“That’s why I had to stop touring, because I couldn’t read my emotions the right way. The whole thing was about success for the sake of success. I wasn’t getting any happiness anymore.”
Following news of the death of DJ and producer Tim Bergling, a.k.a. Avicii, on Friday, celebrities and fellow musicians expressed their condolences on social media.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” a statement from his rep said. “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.” He was 28.
Following the news about the passing of Avicii, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which has been his music publisher since 2010, issued the following statement:
“We are mourning the incredibly sad loss of an exceptionally creative talent who we have been honored and proud to represent as one of our songwriters for a number of years. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Fellow EDM star Calvin Harris was among the first to post, tweeting “Devastating news about Avicii, a beautiful soul, passionate and extremely talented with so much more to do. My heart goes out to his family. God bless you Tim x.”
Devastating news about Avicii, a beautiful soul, passionate and extremely talented with so much more to do. My heart goes out to his family. God bless you Tim x — Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) April 20, 2018
Pop artist Charlie Puth wrote that he “would like to take a moment to pay tribute to the man who really opened my eyes as to what my productions could one day sound like. @Avicii was a genius and a music innovator, and I can not believe he is no longer with us. RIP to the very best.”
Wow, I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to the man who really opened my eyes as to what my productions could one day sound like. @Avicii was a genius and a music innovator, and I can not believe he is no longer with us. RIP to the very best. — Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) April 20, 2018
Madonna posted an Instagram photo with Avicii, standing behind his DJ booth with the artist at once of his shows, with the caption, “So Sad……. So Tragic. Good Bye Dear Sweet Tim. Gone too Soon.” The two worked together on her “Rebel Heart” album, where he served as a producer.
Dua Lipa added that his death was “too young and way too soon. My condolences go out to his family, friends and fans,” and Liam Payne tweeted that he was “truly devastated for Avicii, very very sad news way too young… what a talent he was.”
Such sad news to hear about Avicii passing. Too young and way too soon. My condolences go out to his family, friends and fans x — DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) April 20, 2018
Oh my god truly devastated for Avicii very very sad news way to young … what a talent he was. rest in peace x — Liam (@LiamPayne) April 20, 2018
Fellow electronic musicians Zedd, 3LAU, Marshmello, Deadmau5 and Dillon Francis sent love on Twitter, with 3LAU writing that he was “an unparalleled writer and one of my biggest inspirations will be remembered and missed for centuries to come.
No words can describe the sadness I’m feeling right now, hearing about Avicii passing away….💔
Thoughts go out to his family and friends… — Zedd (@Zedd) April 20, 2018
I cannot express enough that @Avicii revolutionized dance music, and effortlessly. An unparalleled writer and one of my biggest inspirations will be remembered and missed for centuries to come. We love you Tim. — ▽ (@3LAU) April 20, 2018
my sincerest and most heartfelt condolences to the friends, fans and families of @Avicii :( Banter aside, nobody can deny what he has accomplished and done for modern dance music and im very proud of him. — Goat lord (@deadmau5) April 20, 2018
At a loss for words…Rest easy brother 😪 @Avicii — marshmello (@marshmellomusic) April 20, 2018
RIP @Avicii you will be insanely missed…my deepest condolences to his family. — Dillon Francis (@DILLONFRANCIS) April 20, 2018
Imagine Dragons also tweeted thoughts for Avicii, with the band’s frontman Dan Reynolds tweeting that working with the DJ “was one of my favorite collaborative moments.” OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder added that he had “inspired some of my writing and I’m sure thousands of others.” Aloe Blacc, who collaborated with Avicii on “Wake Me Up,” said that “meeting him changed my life.”
devastated at the news of @Avicii passing. working with him was one of my favorite collaborative moments. far too young. the world was a happier and fuller place with his presence and art. sending all my love to his friends and family. Xxdr — Imagine Dragons (@Imaginedragons) April 20, 2018
Rest In Peace @Avicii – u inspired some of my writing and I’m sure thousands of others, u will be missed — Ryan Tedder (@RyanTedder) April 20, 2018
My heartfelt condolences to Tim's family and close friends. I can't express how deeply sad I am. Meeting him changed my life. He was an amazingly talented person and it hurts so bad that he's gone. — Aloe Blacc (@aloeblacc) April 20, 2018
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Can’t believe it about @Avicii He was so young and talented. Had a genuine love for creating. We got to write and hang last year and he was so nice 😔❤️ Rest in Peace — K A C E Y M U S G R A V E S (@KaceyMusgraves) April 20, 2018
Can't really describe in words how sad I feel right now.. thank you for inspiring me and millions others. RIP @Avicii 😔❤ pic.twitter.com/nthXoCiZqy — MARTIN GARRIX (@MartinGarrix) April 20, 2018
I have no words. I remember how amazing it was to make Lonely Together and it felt like just yesterday we were talking. Condolences to Avicii's family, friends, and the fans who supported him. May he rest in peace. Gone too soon. I’m devastated. Heartbroken. — Rita Ora (@RitaOra) April 20, 2018
. @Avicii was talented and kind, and I was genuinely excited to see what would come next from him. His future most certainly should have been written beyond age 28. I am
heartbroken.
Rest easy Tim. — Kaskade (@kaskade) April 20, 2018
So sad to hear the news about Avicii today… RIP 🙏🏼. Gone way too young 😞. Sending love to his family, friends & fans. ♥️ — Victoria Justice (@VictoriaJustice) April 20, 2018
Avicii contributed incredible art to this world. devastated to hear about this. Rest In Peace. X — Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) April 20, 2018
Terribly sad news about Avicii. Such a talent and great guy. RIP — Max George (@MaxGeorge) April 20, 2018
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