Avicii portrait with white triangle logo over black hoodie

Avicii

2008musicianclassic

Published August 15, 2026

Avicii was the stage name of Swedish DJ and EDM producer Tim Bergling, whose tracks like 'Levels' and 'Wake Me Up' topped charts worldwide in the early 2010s. He first surfaced on the Laidback Luke Forums in 2008 and died in April 2018.

music memes earworm memes early 2010s memes death hoax tragedy memes edm memes

Overview

Avicii was the stage name of the late Swedish DJ and electronic dance music producer Tim Bergling, sometimes stylized as ΛVICII or ◢◤. His music pulled a combined five billion YouTube views before his death in April 20185, driven by tracks like 'Levels' and 'Wake Me Up' that dominated mainstream radio in the early 2010s1.

He collaborated widely across genres throughout his career. Notable team-ups included David Guetta on the Grammy-nominated 'Sunshine,' Nicky Romero on 'I Could Be The One,' Madonna on 'Devil Pray,' and Coldplay on both 'A Sky Full of Stars' and 'Hymn for the Weekend'5.

Origin & Background

Platform
Laidback Luke Forums (early mixes) / YouTube (viral spread)
Creator
Tim Bergling
Date
2008

Bergling started uploading his early mixes to the Laidback Luke Forums in 2008 under the handle 'Avici,' which he later re-spelled after finding the original name already claimed2. He seeded additional instrumentals on Myspace9, where EMI Music Publishing scouts eventually found him and signed him to a publishing deal. His first real breakthrough arrived in 2010 with 'Seek Bromance,' a vocal re-release of his earlier instrumental 'Bromance'1.

How It Spread

'Levels' dropped in November 2011 alongside the launch of Avicii's official YouTube channel and shot to number one across multiple European Billboard charts by the end of that year1. The follow-up single 'Wake Me Up,' featuring vocals from Aloe Blacc, arrived in summer 2013 and racked up over 1.5 billion YouTube views by April 20185. Full-length albums True and Stories pushed his sound further into radio pop territory.

Citing health issues, Bergling announced his retirement from touring in a Facebook post on March 29th, 20164. Two years later, in April 2018, he died. His family confirmed the death as a suicide in a statement given to press3, and the news drew a wave of tributes across social media, where he had 2.1 million Twitter followers6 and 8.2 million Instagram followers at the time7. Twitter Moments compiled fan reactions that pushed mental health awareness alongside the mourning8. Urban Dictionary entries filed after his death still describe him as 'a legendary DJ who left us too soon'10.

▶

Watch Video

X

Frequently Asked Questions