Without warning, Avicii passed away this year on April 20. The news of his death traveled quickly through the dance music community and shook nearly everyone to their core. The producer/DJ had health troubles over the previous couple years, but seemed to be on an upward trend. Still, the news was true and the rest of this year just hasn’t felt the same for it.
Now at the end of 2018, we want to look back at some of the stories that have come as a result of Avicii’s passing.
News of Avicii’s death first broke on April 20, 2018. He was found at Muscat Hills Resort in Oman, where he’d been vacationing. The hotel released a statement following news of his death:
Avicii definitely did seem to be in good spirits while enjoying his time and he was also very friendly with everyone. As much as we enjoyed his company here at Muscat Hills Resort, we are extremely sad to hear and read all the recent news and therefore we would like to express our sincere condolences to his family, friends and all his fans.
The day following the news of his death, Billboard published an article outlining the various health issues that Avicii had been facing, since his acute pancreatitis in January 2012 to the announcement of his retirement from touring in March 2016 and his final show in August that year.
His ex-manager, Ash Pournouri, released a statement on Instagram, though the post has since been deleted.
“Shock. Grief. Anger. Rage. Apathy. Despair. Misery. Pain. Pain. Pain. I don’t even know what this feeling is called,” Ash wrote.
His family, too, released their own statement.
We would like to thank you for the support and the loving words about our son and brother. We are so grateful for everyone who loved Tim’s music and have precious memories of his songs.
Thank you for all the initiatives taken to honor Tim, with public gatherings, church bells ringing out his music, tributes at Coachella and moments of silence around the world.”
We are grateful for the privacy during this difficult time. Our wish is that it continues that way.
It wasn’t until a week after his death that news began to circulate that Avicii’s cause of death was likely suicide.
The following day, Avicii’s girlfriend, Tereza Kačerová, whom he’d been dating in relative secrecy, spoke out.
“I was always very set on keeping our relationship private because I wanted it to be OUR and ours only and wanted no part in that madness. But I thought, if I’m going to share this with the world, it will be when I’m pregnant with our child. Ohhh how that plan went awry.”
All of this, again, happened within just the span of a week following his death.
Soon, the tributes began. Nicky Romero played their unreleased song “Heaven” at Kingsland Festival, Kygo got a new tattoo dedicated to Avicii, Don Diablo released a new track with Hilda, “Wake Me When It’s Quiet,” dedicated to Avicii, Arty debuted a new song, “For Tim,” later released as just “Tim,” and so on.
Rumors stemming from an interview with Geffen Records president Neil Jacobson suggested that an Avicii album would be released this year; those were quickly cast aside.
Avicii’s public relations representative Diana Baron says, “Tim had been working on new material and had posted 9-ish photos and Instagram stories about his sessions this year. As of this moment, these stories about a scheduled release are just rumors coming from hopeful fans who loved Tim and his music.”
In July, a massive flag was waved at Tomorrowland in tribute to Avicii. That 16×10 meter, 20 kg flag is now being auctioned off with proceeds going to suicide prevention charity Suicide Zero. The current price is $1,725. You can bid on it here. So far, it’s been signed by Steve Angelo, Nicky Romero, Don Diablo, Dada Life, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Lost Frequencies, and Vini Vici, among others.
Avicii won a posthumous award for Best Dance at VMAs 2018 for his song “Lonely Together” with Rita Ora.
At the end of August, Avicii’s Los Angeles home was quietly sold for $17.5 million. His piano inside is being donated to a local museum in Stockholm, Sweden; the exact name of the museum was never disclosed.
Last month, Avicii was awarded the MTV EMA for Best Swedish Act, another posthumous award among many. It was also revealed that the Netflix documentary Avicii: True Stories is to return to the streaming service this month, after it was removed in April following his death. The Guardian confirmed the doc will release on US, UK and Australia Netflix on December 28.
All of this to culminate in the fact that Avicii was the #2 most-Googled topic in all the world in 2018. Clearly, his legacy continues to live on in his fans, friends, and family.
RIP Avicii, September 8, 1989 – April 20, 2018
Photo via Rukes.com