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On Friday, TMZ reported that famed DJ Avicii, born Tim Bergling, has died.
According to the outlet, he was found dead in the Middle Eastern country of Oman. A statement issued by Avicii’s reps read, “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii. He was found dead in Muscat, Oman this Friday afternoon local time, April 20th. 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.”
What do we know about Avicii’s family? Who were his parents, and did he have any siblings?
Read on for more information.
1. His Mother Is an Actress
Avicii’s mother, Anki Liden, is a Swedish actress who has appeared in over 50 films and TV shows since the ’70s.
Her filmography includes movies like Buddies, Father to Be, To Be a Millionaire, My Life as a Dog, and Beck – Sista Vittnet.
Today, Liden is 71. In 2010, she received The Golden Bagge Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in the film Glowing Stars.
On May of last year, Avicii took to Instagram to dedicate a post to his mother. “Happy Mothers day! ❤”, the DJ wrote.
2. His Father Is a Ray Charles Fan
Avicii’s father, Klas Bergling, is a big Ray Charles fan. Speaking to Magnetic Magazine in 2011, Avicii was asked if his father’s music, namely Ray Charles, influenced or affected his music in any way. He responded, “Oh they’ve definitely influenced me a lot. I like to try and take certain scales and rhythms not usually used in house music and try to adapt them to fit into EDM.”
Little else is known about Bergling.
Avicci signed with the Defjitts Plays label in 2007. Three years later, he released the song “Seek Bromance”, which soared to the top 20 in a number of countries, including Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the UK, and Sweden. In October 2010, he signed with the European A&R team with EMI Music Publishing.
3. His Manager Was like His Second Father
Ash Pournouri, Avicii’s manager, discovered him. Asked how Ash found him in the first place, Avicii said, “He ran across some of my stuff on the blogs and sent me a Facebook message asking to meet up for a coffee! From that point he just kinda started helping me out, and not really managing me yet, but then as the project and his involvement grew we signed a management agreement and that’s definitely been the best career move I’ve made.”
Avicii went on to say that Ash was “a bit of everything to me, partner brother father and friend. My dad actually refers to him as my second father.”
The two stopped working together in December 2016. A statement by an Avicii representative confirmed the split, writing, “2x Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Tim Bergling and his production/publishing entity Avicii Music AB have parted ways with manager Ash Pournouri, At Night Management. Bergling is signed to Universal Music Sweden and is expected to release an album next year.”
4. He Has 3 Siblings
Avicii grew up with siblings Anton, Linda and David in Stockholm.
Despite his busy schedule, Avicii always made an effort to spend as much time with his family as possible. Speaking to Magnetic Magazine in 2011, he said, “When I’m home I try to spend as much time as I can with my family and friends and get as much done in the studio as I can.”
5. Avicii Retired from Touring in 2016
In 2016, Avicii retired from touring and announced the retirement as an open letter on his website. “I know I am blessed to be able to travel all around the world and perform, but I have too little left for the life of a real person behind the artist.”
He continued, “I will however never let go of music — I will continue to speak to my fans through it.”
In his interview with Magnetic Mag, Avicii was asked what the hardest lesson he’s had to learn so far is. He said, “Probably that I don’t have an unlimited amount of time to explore everything I’ve ever wanted to do. I think at first it made it more difficult, but all in all it’s made everything easier since I’ve learned how to focus on the things I most want to spend my time doing.”