On April 20th, 2018, it was officially reported that Tim Bergling better known as international electronic dance music producer Avicii had died. As is typically the case with celebrity passings, there was immediate speculation. After becoming an international celebrity at a very young age, fame and touring took a toll on Bergling. In 2016, he retired from touring officially. Due to exhaustion and a bit of alcohol abuse, Bergling had developed acute pancreatitis and as a result had to have his appendix as well as his gallbladder removed. Bergling had admitted to his tendency toward substance abuse, particularly alcohol. He said he used alcohol to cope with fame and that being a celebrity made him deeply uncomfortable. His retirement from touring was meant to help him restore his physical health. Unfortunately, his mental health is what needed the most help.
A breaking report from TMZ confirmed what many people had interpreted from a statement released by Bergling’s parents: Avicii, the 28 year old swedish international superstar, had committed suicide. “He really struggled with thoughts about Meaning, Life, Happiness,” his parents wrote. “He could not go on any longer,” his family’s statement reads. “He wanted to find peace.” Then the celebrity reporting website broke the news that Avicii died from a self-inflicted wound. There are conflicting reports of exactly how the self-infliction occurred. The details will not be discussed here out of respect for readers with suicidal struggles and any kind of trauma. If you are uncomfortable with thoughts of suicide, please call 800-273-8255.
Since Avicii’s passing, the music industry has opened up conversation about the insufferable pressure DJ’s are put under to perform everynight in a culture where their music lives with partying. He was overworked and exhausted, his family and friends have reported, as are many professional DJs. We can learn more from the tragic passing of Avicii than the lack of mental health support for professional DJs.
Though Tim Bergling was Swedish, statistics from American organizations are pertinent to his loss of life. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has pointed out that we can never truly know the cause of suicide. However, the organization cites, 90 percent of people who commit suicide do experience mental illness. Suicide is often linked to depression, but depression is not a cause of suicide. Anxiety, PTSD, and depression are linked to suicide. There is no public record of any mental health disorders Avicii may have been diagnosed with. We can know that he was suffering, that he was tired, and that in his greatest moment of need, he was alone despite the fact that he was loved by millions of people around the world.
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