Avicii Biography Reveals DJ’s Addiction & Mental Health Struggles

Avicii, a hugely successful Swedish DJ, and record producer, whose real name was Tim Bergling, tragically committed suicide at the age of 28 in April 2018.

He had retired from touring two years earlier, citing poor mental health and stress of his touring schedule. He had also completed a stint at a rehab facility in Spain called Ibiza Calm, leaving his family hopeful that the struggles were behind him.

Avicii’s father, Klas Bergling, later said they were “naive” to think that in an interview with The Sunday TImes, and also pointed out “I’ve heard a thousand times that the fight starts when you’re sober.”

In a biography Tim – The Official Biography of Avicci, which first released in November, readers learn more about how Avicii used substances to avoid his mental health struggles while at the height of his fame and popularity in the mid-2010s.

The book, written by author and investigative journalist Måns Mosesson, is supported by extensive interviews with his family, friends and music industry peers, as well as journal entries kept by Avicci while he was in rehab.

In the journals, Avicii confided that he struggled to comply with the doctor’s advice to stay sober following a 2012 hospitalization.

“Of course, I didn’t listen to the majority of the doctors,” wrote Avicii, “I listened to the couple who said it was ok if I was careful. I was ignorant and naive and touring the world, still on the never-ending tour –  because once you’ve circled it once, guess what? You start right back over again.”

Avicii performed extensively through his career, once taking 300 gigs in a year, and eventually totaling 830 shows performed by the time of his death. This stressful touring schedule is thought to be a primary motivating factor for his alcohol and drug dependence, coupled with unaddressed depression and anxiety.

To read more about Avicii’s struggles and attempted recovery, read Tim, which is available at major retailers.