Avicii Dead At 28
Hugely successful EDM artist, DJ, and producer Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii, died Friday afternoon in the Middle Eastern country of Oman, according to a statement from his rep. He was only 28 years old.
The statement reads, “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, 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.” Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which has been Avicii’s 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.”
One of the most popular and successful EDM artists of all time — he regularly appeared in the Top 5 of Forbes’ “Highest-Paid DJs” lists — Avicii retired from live performing in 2016 at the peak of his success, citing health reasons.
Fellow EDM star Calvin Harris was among the first to post his condolences, 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.” Zedd tweeted, “No words can describe the sadness I’m feeling right now, hearing about Avicii passing away… Thoughts go out to his family and friends…”
Deadmau5 posted, “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 I’m very proud of him.” Marshmello tweeted, simply, “At a loss for words… Rest easy brother.”
Avicii had worked as a songwriter and producer on Madonna‘s Rebel Heart album, and a heartbroken Madonna posted this Instagram photo of them with the caption, “So Sad…. So Tragic. Good Bye Dear Sweet Tim. Gone too soon.”
Variety posted an excellent conversation with Geffen Records President Neil Jacobson, who shared his memories of working with Tim and talked about unreleased Avicii music.
