The father of Avicii speaks: ‘We really tried everything’

On YouTube, you can't escape it: everything is filled with Avicii tributes. For some, it is still hard to comprehend that the successful DJ took his own life at the age of 29. Yesterday he would have turned 31. What went wrong? Father Klas Bergling speaks in an honest conversation with the American radio station Sirius XM about the mental issues his son struggled with throughout his career.

‘The music industry consumes you, especially with the success that Tim achieved. He traveled a lot, made music, and was very happy with it at the time, even though it was sometimes tough. But as a parent, you are in Stockholm and you want your child to take a break,’ he says.

According to him, Avicii experienced depression later in his career and struggled with addictions. ‘We reached out to his management twice because we, as a family, were very concerned about him. People sometimes think: why didn’t you do anything? Believe me, we tried everything.’

Avicii took his own life on April 20, 2018. The interview with Tim's father is part of the American National Suicide Prevention Week. Fellow DJs Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Laidback Luke, and Nicky Romero also share their stories about Avicii this week, in the context of the Avicii Birthday Tribute for Mental Health Awareness.