Rumors Emerge About Avicii’s Death

Amy Sussman/Invision/AP, File – Avicii
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Reports have surfaced that Avicii committed suicide as sources have told the press varying details relating to the Swedish DJ/producer’s death. 

The 28-year-old was found dead in Muscat, Oman, April 20. Multiple anonymous sources told TMZ that the EDM star, whose real name was Tim Bergling, used shards of a broken bottle to cut himself. The gossip site cited two sources saying he cut his neck, while another source claimed the fatal wound was on his wrist. 

  

The Royal Oman Police told CNN last week that criminal suspicion was ruled out after two postmortems were conducted. 

The DJ/producer’s family released the following statement April 26, which many have interpreted as confirming that Avicii’s death was a suicide: 

 

“Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers to existential questions. An over-achieving perfectionist who travelled and worked hard at a pace that led to extreme stress.

“When he stopped touring, he wanted to find a balance in life to be happy and be able to do what he loved most – music. He really struggled with thoughts about Meaning, Life, Happiness. He could not go on any longer. He wanted to find peace.

“Tim was not made for the business machine he found himself in; he was a sensitive guy who loved his fans but shunned the spotlight. Tim, you will forever be loved and sadly missed. The person you were and your music will keep your memory alive.”

 

Avicii traveled to Oman April 8 to visit friends in the country’s royal family, according to Rolling Stone. Although he had announced a retirement from touring in 2016, Avicii had been busy working on new music. RS notes that he held a conference call April 9 with members of his management team about booking guests artists for the recordings and then continued emailing about the project. 

“All his notes were in happy mode,” Per Sundin, the head of Universal Music Sweden, told the magazine. “He loved what he had created.”

The DJ/producer quit touring to concentrate on his health after suffering acute pancreatitis which was reportedly caused partly by excessive drinking, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In 2014 he had his gallbladder and appendix removed.

“To me it was something I had to do for my health,” he said in 2016, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “The scene was not for me. It was not the shows and not the music. It was always the other stuff surrounding it that never came naturally to me. All the other parts of being an artist. I’m more of an introverted person in general. It was always very hard for me. I took on board too much negative energy, I think.”

Avicii had been a touring powerhouse, playing shows across the globe. His biggest ever solo show was in his native Sweden – two nights at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena Feb. 28 and March 1, 2014. It grossed $4.9 million and sold 69,725 tickets.