Remembering Swedish DJ Avicii

CAIRO – 21 April 2018: World-famous Swedish DJ Avicii, one of the biggest dance music stars of the past decade, was found dead in Muscat, Oman on Friday at 28 years old. No cause of death has been announced.

"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 further statements would be issued,” a representative of the music star said in a statement released to BBC.

Avicii was born on September 8, 1989 in Stockholm, Sweden. He worked as a DJ from an early age, when he was still as a teenager, and released his first single in 2007, followed by a wide array of further singles and remixes in 2008, as he started to garner wide attention.

Avicci, the music innovator’s stage name, comes from the Buddhist name for the lowest level of hell, though it was actually chosen because someone else was already using his real name on MySpace.

In 2010, Avicii first hit it big in Europe with "Seek Bromance", and a year later his single "Levels" blasted him into super-stardom; he received a Grammy Award nomination and the song hit platinum in more than 10 countries.



It was an endless track of success from that point on. Avicii continued to release hit single after hit single, and his 2012 collaboration with David Guetta, "Sunshine", was nominated for another Grammy Award.

His music proved most at home at the club, with hits such as "Wake Me Up" and "I Could Be the One" becoming immensely popular songs on the dance floor.



Eventually, Avicii made history as the first EDM DJ to tour worldwide, raking in $19 million in 2015, according to Forbes. Avicii's music has so far been streamed around 11 billion times, and in a way he was the face of modern dance music. He had done around 800 tours, constantly partying and drinking.



Although it was a life of fun and fame, it sadly had its dark sides.

Following health complications that led to early pancreatitis and the loss of his gallbladder and appendix, Avicii withdrew from touring. In a statement he published on his website on his final tour in 2016, he reassured his fan base that it was simply a new beginning and that he would never stop producing music. A year later, in August, he released his EP "Avicii", which was followed up a month later with a documentary on his life titled "True Stories", which focused on his declining health and the pressures and demands put on him to continue.

Avicii has been mourned not only by millions of fans worldwide, but by some of the big-named stars he collaborated with, including the likes of Madonna, deadmau5 and Calvin Harris.