Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Swedish DJ Avicii gained worldwide recognition in the electronic dance music scene with hits

  • such as "Levels" and "Wake Me Up."

  • With two Grammy nominations under his belt and millions of albums sold, the 28-year-old

  • Aviciireal name Tim Berglingwas poised to continue hitting the top of the

  • charts for a long time to come.

  • But his sudden passing on April 20th, 2018, cut his impressive career short and left the

  • music world stunned.

  • Here is the untold truth of Avicii.

  • Hard living

  • Avicii suffered quite a few health issues over the years, especially for someone so young.

  • In his documentary, Avicii: True Stories, which screened in select theaters in 2017,

  • Avicii opened up about his struggle with acute pancreatitis — a condition that caused him

  • significant physical pain.

  • According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of acute pancreatitis often appear unexpectedly

  • and can last for days.

  • Avicii was first diagnosed with acute pancreatitis in 2012, after being hospitalized in New York.

  • According to Billboard, the condition was reportedly caused by the artist's heavy drinking.

  • Following further health complications, Avicii, who had allegedly stopped drinking alcohol,

  • had surgeries to remove his gallbladder and appendix in 2014.

  • However, problems resulting from the surgeries later caused him to cancel shows that same year.

  • Avicii passed away in Muscat, Oman on the afternoon of April 20th, 2018, from unknown

  • causes.

  • His publicist released the one and only statement the family plans to give:

  • "The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in

  • this difficult time.

  • No further statements will be given."

  • As of the making of this video, it is unknown if Avicii's past health issues had anything

  • to do with his passing, but authorities have ruled out any foul play.

  • Touring retirement

  • At a time when most people are still figuring out what they want to do in life, Avicii decided

  • to put a stop to a major part of his successful career when he was just 26 years old.

  • Despite being one of the highest paid DJs in the world, Avicii announced that he was

  • retiring from touring in a lengthy post on his website in March 2016.

  • Thanking his fans for their support and his team for its hard work, he wrote,

  • "Two weeks ago, I took the time to drive across the U.S. with my friends and team, to just

  • look and see and think about things in a new way.

  • It really helped me realize that I needed to make the change that I'd been struggling

  • with for a while."

  • Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter that same year, Avicii explained he'd retired from touring

  • in order to focus on his health, noting that he'd often take on "too much negative energy"

  • while on the road.

  • Avicii detailed some of this negativity to Rolling Stone in September 2017, saying,

  • "Parties can be amazing, but it's very easy to become too attached to partying in places

  • like Ibiza . You become lonely and get anxieties.

  • It becomes toxic."

  • Beginning of something new

  • Though Avicii was over traveling the world on tour, he hadn't given up on his music career.

  • In 2017, he shared on his website that he'd gone, quote, "back to the place where it all

  • made sensethe studio."

  • He explained,

  • "The next stage will be all about my love of making music to you guys.

  • It is the beginning of something new.

  • Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do."

  • That August, Avicii released a new six-track EP.

  • As noted by Variety, the EP was to be the first of three installments that would make

  • up his next record, which Avicii vowed would be the, quote, "best damn album" of his career.

  • Just days before his passing, the EP was nominated for a 2018 Billboard Music Award for best

  • dance/electronic album.

  • Avicii tweeted "Thanks for the nomination!" after learning the news, adding a prayer hands

  • emoji to the post.

  • When Avicii announced the EP, he told fans he had finally found his purpose:

  • "We all reach a point in our lives and careers where we understand what matters the most

  • to us.

  • For me it's creating music.

  • That is what I live for, what I feel I was born to do."

Swedish DJ Avicii gained worldwide recognition in the electronic dance music scene with hits

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it