Rita Ora pays emotional tribute to Avicii during festival performance

'[He] changed my life and he was a really good friend of mine'

Rita Ora paid tribute to late friend and collaborator Avicii during her performance at the King's Day celebrations in the Netherlands.

The Swedish musician, real-name Tim Bergling, was found dead at the age of 28 at a hotel in Muscat, Oman on Friday 20 April. His cause of death is yet to be announced, but two post-mortem examinations have been conducted and police are not treating it with criminal suspicion.

He retired from touring in 2016, following a period of ill health. In a recent statement, his family said he retired because “he wanted to find a balance in life to be happy and be able to do what he loved most – music.”

During her set on Friday (27 April), a visibly moved Rita Ora led the crowd in a minute silence before performing their single "Lonely Together". She told the crowd it was an "honour" to work with him, adding: "[He] changed my life and he was a really good friend of mine."

"It's going to be very hard for me to sing this next song," she said. "We collaborated on the last song that he released together – can you all please join me in having a minute of silence... because he was one of my dearest friends."

Tributes poured in from across the music industry for Bergling, with DJ Calvin Harris responding to the news with a tweet that read: “Devastating news about Avicii, a beautiful soul, passionate and extremely talented with so much more to do. My heart goes out to his family. God bless you Tim x.”

“Such sad news to hear about Avicii passing. Too young and way too soon. My condolences go out to his family, friends and fans x,” wrote Dua Lipa.

Skrillex, who previously remixed Avicii’s worldwide hit “Levels”, also posted a tribute to social media, calling the artist “a genius and an innovator, yet sensitive and humble.”

Rita Ora herself posted at the time: "I have no words. I remember how amazing it was to make Lonely Together and it felt like just yesterday we were talking. Condolences to Avicii's family, friends, and the fans who supported him. May he rest in peace. Gone too soon. I’m devastated. Heartbroken."

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