Avicii death: Family reveals he 'could not go on any longer' and 'wanted to find peace'

'Our beloved Tim was a soul searching for answers to existential questions,' says statement

Dance DJ Avicii “could not go on any longer”, his family have said.

The Grammy-nominated Swedish electronic performer, born Tim Bergling, was found dead last week in Muscat, Oman at the age of 28.

Details about his death were not revealed.

His family said in a statement on Thursday: “Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers to existential questions.”

Bergling retired from touring in 2016. His family said he stopped because “he wanted to find a balance in life to be happy and be able to do what he loved most – music”.

They also said their son “was not made for the business machine he found himself in”.

Instead, “he was a sensitive guy who loved his fans but shunned the spotlight”.

Bergling is survived by his parents, Klas Bergling and Anki Liden, his sister Linda and his brothers Anton and David.

In the past he had suffered acute pancreatitis, in part due to excessive drinking.

After having his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014, he cancelled a series of shows in attempt to recover.

After he stopped gigging altogether in 2016, the Swedish performer continued to produced albums and songs.

“Tim, you will forever be loved and sadly missed,” the statement read. “The person you were and your music will keep your memory alive.”

Earlier this week, Bergling’s family thanked his fans for their support in the days following the superstar DJ’s death.

He received a number of tributes from the music community and fans.

He was an international pop star, performing his well-known electronic dance songs around the world for die-hard fans, sometimes hundreds of thousands at music festivals, where he was the headline act.

Birgling achieved his first breakthrough single in 2010 with “Seek Bromance”, which reached the top 20 in several European countries. His next hit was “Levels” (2011), which featured synths alongside a sample of Etta James’s 1962 song “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”.

In 2013, Avicii released the world’s first crowd-sourced song “X You”, created through combining his fans’ submissions of melodies, basslines, rhythms and vocals. The same year he released “Wake Me Up” (2013), in which he made the unlikely move of infusing his sound with acoustic country-folk influences

Press Association contributed to this report

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