It’s been five years since Tim Bergling, known as Avicii, died: The Swedish DJ was found dead on April 20, 2018 while vacationing in Oman, having committed suicide when he was just 28 years old. His death shocked the entire music world. His mother Anki Lidén is still mourning her son. On the anniversary of his death, she gave the Swedish magazine “Vi” a large, very personal interview about her loss.
It becomes clear how great the pain of the 76-year-old actress is – especially when the memories come up again. Lidén tells how while she was shopping in a store, her son’s song played and she almost collapsed. “I had to support myself, no, I was hanging over the counter so as not to fall over,” she reports.
With songs like “Wake Me Up” or “Waiting for Love” her son had become a world star early on, he performed all over the world. Despite his success, he seemed unhappy. “He really struggled with thinking about meaning, life, happiness,” his family said after his death. Avicii’s mother recalls that the moment she found out about his death, her legs gave way. To this day she does not feel able to listen to her son’s music.
The circumstances of death are also difficult for her, Anki Lidén admits in the interview: “It wasn’t cancer, it wasn’t a heart, it wasn’t an accident. And he was so young.” She never believed that her son could be suicidal. Avicii suffered from severe depression, was addicted to pills and used drugs. He could hardly enjoy his great success. “Today we are convinced that he suffered from a psychosis, an acute illness,” says Anki Lidén.
She remembers her son as “cheerful, funny, creative, friendly, warm-hearted”. And of course she sometimes wonders how it all could have been. The DJ always wanted to be a father, says Anki Lidén in the interview: “He would probably have bought a music studio. He would definitely have a dog and hopefully a girlfriend.”
Those: “You”
