Avicii's Real Name: Tim Bergling

Quick answer: Avicii was the stage name of Tim Bergling, a Swedish DJ and producer born on September 8, 1989, in Stockholm. He was known for "Levels" and the multi-platinum "Wake Me Up." He was found dead in Muscat, Oman, on April 20, 2018, at age 28 (AP; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Avicii, 1989-2018." Its citation reads "b. Tim Bergling, Sept. 8, 1989, Stockholm, Sweden; Swedish DJ, remixer, model, and record producer." The record lists two cross-references, "Bergling, Tim, 1989-2018" and "Berg, Tim, 1989-2018"; Tim Berg was an alias he used on some early releases. A separate LOC citation confirms he died on April 20, 2018, in Muscat, Oman.

The Associated Press and Reuters both identified him at his death as Tim Bergling. AP quoted the statement from his publicist, Diana Baron: "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii."

Avicii told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016, in remarks AP republished, that he started producing at 16 and touring at 18. "From that point on, I just jumped into 100 percent," he said.

Career highlights

Avicii was among the DJ-producers, along with David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and Swedish House Mafia, who became headline stars in their own right. AP says he played to crowds of up to hundreds of thousands at festivals. He earned his first Grammy nomination for the 2012 show, for a collaboration with Guetta. Around then he broke through with "Le7els" ("Levels"), which sampled Etta James and reached No. 1 in Sweden.

His best-known song, the country-dance hybrid "Wake Me Up," was a multi-platinum hit that peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100. He had seven Top 10 hits on the dance charts. He produced Madonna's "Devil Pray" and the Coldplay songs "A Sky Full of Stars" and "Hymn for the Weekend." Mike Posner's hit "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" refers to him by name. AP says he was a two-time Grammy nominee who won two MTV Europe Music Awards.

AP notes that he had suffered from acute pancreatitis, in part from heavy drinking, and had his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014. In 2016 he announced he was retiring from touring, though he kept producing music.

AP later reported that police in Oman conducted two autopsies and found no evidence of foul play. In a second statement reported by AP, his family said he "could not go on any longer" and "wanted to find peace."

Name notes for searchers

Avicii is a stage name; his legal name was Tim Bergling. Early releases sometimes credited him as Tim Berg. AP and Reuters both used Tim Bergling when reporting his death.