Avicii’s father, DJ Avicii, has spoken out to openly discuss his difficult relationship with fame. He also said that he didn’t expect his son to end his life.
Tim Bergling was the Swedish superstar DJ. He committed suicide on a vacation with friends in Oman, 20 April 2018. This happened two years after his departure from the spotlight.
Following his worldwide popularity in 2011 with Levels, the Wake Me Up singer was entering a slower phase of his career. In 2016, he quit touring due to an addiction to opioids and alcohol.
Klas Bergling, the father of his son, said to Sunday Times that his son was shy, introverted and struggled in his quick rise to fame.
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Avicii was born Tim Bergling and took his own life while on holiday in Oman with his friends. He was just 28. The father of his son has spoken out about the struggles with alcoholism and mental illness he faced, and said he could not face daily life on stage.
Klas Bergling (right) recalled his son Tim (2nd right), as shy teenager who loved to make music in his bedroom. Left: Tim’s mom Anki Liden, and one of Tim’s step-siblings
The DJ, who jetted all over the world playing sets, was open about his alcohol dependency when he was alive, which he developed at the height of his fame, and which led him to have his gallbladder and appendix removed aged 21.
When he was still alive, the DJ traveled all around the globe to play sets. He also spoke out about the alcohol dependence he had, which led him to develop pancreatitis.
Klas and Anki Liden started the Tim Bergling Foundation in 2019, in the memory of their son. Klas also recounted the story of how his family and friends organized an intervention to help him get into rehabilitation in 2015.
According to the father of the artist, the incident is still an awful memory. It was ‘one the most difficult moments in his entire life.
Avicii’s family and Avicii’s producer met in the Ibiza room that the DJ had rented to try to convince him to get rehab.
‘It was one of the worst moments of my life because you really feel you’ve betrayed your son. It had to be done,” his father stated.
He added he had been ‘naïve’ to think going to rehab would solve all of his son’s problems.
The DJ’s father said he ‘betrayed’ his son during an intervention to make him go to rehab after Avicii’s suffered severe health issues due to drinking and taking drugs (pictured at the Together For A Better Day concert at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm in December)
‘I’ve heard a thousand times that the fight starts when you’re sober. However, I was so happy and it is important to keep those happy times in your mind,’ he stated.
Although he was only the child of his parents and had no step-siblings at all, the DJ was quiet as a teenager who loved to make music alone in his bedroom.
Tim learned how to play the guitar by himself and would sometimes skip school to focus on music. He used a pirated software to create songs.
His father stated that Tim was forced to adjust to the lifestyle of a DJ, decking at festivals and clubs in 2011 when he became famous for Levels, aged 21.
The DJ was only 21 when he shot to fame in 2011, and turned to drinking to cop with fame and the party lifestyle (pictured at the Summerburst festival in May 2015
The DJ began drinking to deal with all the attention and fame that came along with his job.
QG asked him in 2013, “It was a bad habit. You rely on the encouragement and self-confidence that you get from alcohol. Then you become dependent.”
He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis in 2011 after he drank and received opioids for the treatment. Klas stated that the medication had a negative effect on his son’s behavior, making it difficult to communicate with him and prone to irritability.
One year later, when the pain was too much, DJ had to be admitted for eleven days. He also needed his gallbladder, appendix, and liver removed.
The family intervened 2015 and the DJ was able to get clean. However, he continued drinking after the intervention.
He announced that he was ending his tour in 2016, telling the Hollywood Reporter that it was necessary for his health.
In 2000, Anki Liden was the mother of DJ. Many times, the family attempted to assist DJ with his addiction to alcohol.
“The scene wasn’t for me. The music and the shows were not what it was. I was drawn to the many other aspects of being an artist. These are all other aspects of being an Artist. I’m more of an introverted person in general. This was extremely difficult for me. He continued, “I took too much negativity onboard, I believe.”
The artist had been working on new music since his retirement.
According to his father, he felt his son was performing better than he did at that time. He also said that he doesn’t yet know why he took his own life.
Klas is now a champion for suicide prevention and mental health.
He believed fame and fortune can be a dangerous combination, and that more structure should exist to assist up-and-coming musicians in dealing with fame.
He said that he was not sure exactly what to do.
Klas claimed that Tim has been trying to stop him from traveling and drinking multiple times since his 31st birthday in 2020.
It’s easy to see and feel that the person is in need of help. Tim didn’t show those signs too, too official, but we knew of course,’ he said, specialised publication We Rave You reported.