Swedish DJ and “Wake Me Up” artist dies at the age of 28

The talented EDM producer, songwriter and DJ Avicii died on Friday afternoon in the city of Muscat of Oman at the age of 28, according to his representatives.

 

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” US publicist Diana Baron said in a statement. “The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time.”

The cause of death has not been announced. Avicii’s publicist declined to offer any additional comments.

His career, although shortlived, was one that left many incredible shockwaves in the music industry, becoming  the first DJ ever to stage a worldwide arena tour. After being discovered from winning a production contest by Pete Tong in 2008, Avicii began releasing new music. “Levels” — sampling a vocal bit from Etta James’s soul hit “Something Gota Hold of Me” — came first, spurring a series of hit samples from Pretty Lights (“Finally Moving”) and Flo Rida (“Good Feeling”). It was a Top Ten track in many countries and pushed Avicii to work with a number of artists including David Guetta, Madonna and Leona Lewis.

He recorded his first album, 2013’s True, and roared into the Top 40 with hits like “Wake Me Up” (featuring Aloe Blaac) and “Hey Brother.” The ten-track album also won lots of critical praise for being a distinguished, bold body of work inside the EDM genre. “Does Avicii break enough ground in EDM? Most certainly,” a HiFi Magazine review read.  “What’s quite impressive is that he’s doing so on his first full-length record. While Daft Punk is trying to go in reverse in exploring the awesomeness of the Seventies and Studio 54, [Avicii] is successfully thrusting modern electropop ahead of the Top 40 curb using new and smart amalgams.”

The two-time Grammy nominated artist struggled with a few health issues, including the removal of his appendix and gallbladder back in 2014. He also suffered from acute pancreatitis, in part due to excessive drinking. A sudden retirement from touring, at the peak of his career, came shortly after in 2016.

Although Avicii stopped touring, he remained a producer of new content, dropping an EP in 2017.

“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.