In Memoriam
Avicii
September 8, 1989 – April 20, 2018 · aged 28
EDM · Electronic Pop
Tim Bergling, known globally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ and producer who pushed electronic dance music to unprecedented commercial and creative heights. Born in Stockholm in 1989, Avicii became the defining face of the early 2010s EDM boom with massive, euphoric stadium anthems like 'Levels.' However, it was his 2013 megahit 'Wake Me Up' that truly revolutionized the genre by daringly fusing driving electronic beats with acoustic country and bluegrass elements. Despite his colossal success, Bergling suffered from extreme anxiety, pancreatitis, and the crushing mental health toll of relentless global touring, prompting his retirement from live shows in 2016. Tragically, he took his own life while on vacation in Oman on April 20, 2018. He was only 28. His heartbreaking death sparked a massive, industry-wide conversation about mental health and the grueling pressures placed on electronic musicians.
Milestones
Wake Me Up, Levels, Hey Brother
Chart legacy
- 2013: Wake Me Up (DE #1), Wake Me Up (UK #3), Wake Me Up (US #19), I Could Be the One (UK #24), I Could Be the One (DE #31)
- 2014: Hey Brother (DE #13), Wake Me Up (US #22), Wake Me Up (UK #26), Hey Brother (UK #32), The Days (DE #47)
- 2015: Waiting for Love (DE #18)
Also remembered in 2018
- Aretha Franklin (1942–2018)
- Dolores O'Riordan (1971–2018)
- Mac Miller (1992–2018)
- Vinnie Paul (1964–2018)