DJ SUPERSTAR AVICII DIES
28-year-old retired 2 years ago after health scares due to hard partying
AVICII, one of the world’s most successful DJs who helped usher in the global boom in electronic music but struggled to cope with the hard-partying lifestyle, died on Friday in Oman, his representative said.
He was 28.
Two years after retirement from touring amid recurring health scares, the Swedish DJ was found dead in Muscat.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” his management said without specifying the cause of death.
“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.”
Maitrai Joshi, a DJ at the Muscat Hills Resort, said he spotted Avicii and understood the latter was on vacation in Oman for the first time and had extended his stay.
Avicii was among the first DJs to break through in the mainstream as electronic dance music grew over the past decade from nightclubs to Top 40 radio.
He created a global hit out of Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars, to which he added a layer of energetic electronica.
He also helped produce Madonna’s last album.
On Instagram, the pop icon posted a picture of herself in the DJ booth with Avicii and wrote: “So tragic. Goodbye dear sweet Tim. Gone too soon.”
His biggest individual hits included Wake Me Up, which went to No. 1 across Europe in 2013 and featured singer Aloe Blacc.
In 2015, he DJ-ed the wedding reception of Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip and his bride, Sofia. The couple mourned him in a statement, saying: “We had the honour to have known him and admired him both as an artist and the beautiful person that he was.”
Avicii has spoken in recent years about his health problems, including pancreatitis, triggered in part by excessive drinking.
The condition forced him to cancel shows in 2014 as he had to have his gallbladder and appendix removed.
In 2016, Avicii stunned fans by retiring from touring when he was just 26.
Avicii later returned to the more quiet life of a studio artiste. Last year, he put out a six-song EP that featured British pop singer Rita Ora.
The son of Anki Liden, a prominent Swedish actress, Avicii had his start uploading tracks on the Internet and was discovered by Dutch superstar Tiesto, who invited him to play at his residency in the clubbing hub of Ibiza.
His breakthrough single, Levels, adapted a sample of soul singer Etta James and earned him one of his two Grammy nominations.
He took his stage name from the Sanskrit word for the lowest level of hell in Buddhism, adding an additional “i” at the end.