Originally Published on Apr. 21, 2018
RIP Avicii (1989-2018)
The Song of the Day is:
Avicii – “Wake Me Up (feat. Aloe Blacc)
From the album True (2013)
Sad news yesterday as DJ/producer Avicii was found dead in Oman. Avicii, born Tim Bergling, was one of the biggest stars in EDM. The Swedish musician had a relatively short career, but he was quite impactful. Sadly he his the highest profile passing in the modern EDM scene. His 2011 song, the Etta James-sampling “Levels”, catapulted Avicii to overnight stardom, and caught the industry’s attention when it was retooled for a Flo Rida hit “Good Feeling”. Avicii later started experimenting with music that had a bluegrass or country feel to them (while still being overwhelming electronic), the hit songs “Wake Me Up” with soul singer Aloe Blacc and “Hey Brother” with Dan Tyminski were the result of this genre mashup (folktronica). Avicii’s second album, 2015’s Stories, was well received but didn’t yield the international hits that he had previously seen. Little did that matter, as he became the third highest grossing DJ in the world. Between 2011 and his passing, he had amassed $85 million, and he was a generous philanthropist. He has been transparent about his alcohol abuse and has suffered from acute pancreatitis. As a result of his health problems, Avicii retired from touring. The documentary Avicii: True Stories, depicted a young man, prone to depression, searching for a deeper meaning in life despite the privilege he amassed in his career. It has been said that he has a massive amount of unreleased material. Avicii had a lot of talent, and seemingly, a great career ahead of him, but it appears to have been cut short.
Update: It has been determined that Avicii had died a violent death at his own hand. There was a massive outpouring of grief from the music world, his loss was deeply felt.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-237-8255
Hear Today, Grown Tomorrow 