{"id":159147,"date":"2025-03-31T11:05:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T11:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/31\/aviciis-2018-death-and-co-occurring-disorders-explained-he-struggled\/"},"modified":"2025-03-31T11:05:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T11:05:36","slug":"aviciis-2018-death-and-co-occurring-disorders-explained-he-struggled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/31\/aviciis-2018-death-and-co-occurring-disorders-explained-he-struggled\/","title":{"rendered":"Avicii’s 2018 Death and Co-Occurring Disorders Explained: He ‘Struggled’"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Launched in 2013, the harris project<\/a> is a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of co-occurring disorders (COD) \u2014 the combination of mental health challenges and substance use issues. Us Weekly has partnered with the harris project to bring you <\/em>The Missing Issue, a special edition focusing on the stories of celebrities who struggled with COD. Here, we\u2019re revisiting our past coverage of some of those stars.<\/em><\/p>\n

This story ran on usmagazine.com on December 29, 2021:<\/em><\/p>\n

ORIGINAL STORY: Avicii Wrote About Dealing With \u2018Urgent\u2019 Pain in Final Journal Entries Before 2018 Death<\/h2>\n

[Read the full original story<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

NEW STORY: Avicii Wrote About Using Alcohol to Deal With \u2018Urgent\u2019 Pain in Journal Entries Before 2018 Death<\/h3>\n

The death by suicide of DJ\/producer Avicii<\/strong><\/a> (born Tim Bergling) in April 2018 at age 28 shocked fans across the globe, who knew him as the singular talent behind such dance hits as \u201cLevels\u201d and \u201cWake Me Up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Stockholm, Sweden native\u2019s struggles with anxiety, alcoholism and other health issues \u2014 including pancreatitis and gallbladder and appendix surgeries \u2014 were later explored in the book Tim \u2014 The Official Biography of Avicii<\/em> by M\u00e5ns Mosesson<\/strong>, featuring personal journal entries written during Avicii\u2019s stays at treatment facilities. But the musician also discussed his battles with physical pain and heavy drinking in numerous interviews in the years leading up to his death, culminating in his 2016 retirement from touring to focus on his well-being. \u201c[I realized] that I needed to make the change that I\u2019d been struggling with for a while,\u201d he told fans via his website, per multiple outlets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Avicii\u2019s co-occurring disorders were misuse of alcohol and prescription medications along with anxiety.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Look Back at Avicii\u2019s Life in Photos<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tAvicii died at the age of 28 on\u00a0April 20, 2018. The DJ, whose real name was\u00a0Tim Bergling, began his music career in 2007, signing on with the Dejfitts Plays label. He released his first hit, \u201cSeek Bromance,\u201d in 2010, which topped charts in several countries. Later that year, he signed with EMI Music Publishing. On [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He Misused Alcohol to Cope With Nerves<\/h3>\n

Bergling told GQ<\/em><\/a> in March 2013 that he developed a drinking problem early on in his career to deal with self-doubt\u2014and that touring gave him easy access and ample opportunity to create a habit that quickly became habitual. \u201cYou are traveling around, you live in a suitcase, you get to this place, there\u2019s free alcohol everywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s sort of weird if you don\u2019t drink \u2026 I was so nervous. I just got into a habit, because you rely on that encouragement and self-confidence you get from alcohol, and then you get dependent on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the 2017 documentary Avicii: True Stories<\/em>, he revealed he was worried that he was too \u201cstiff\u201d onstage when he hadn\u2019t been drinking. \u201cSo then I found the magical cure of just having a couple drinks before going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

As His Anxiety Grew, So Did Substance Misuse: \u2018It Was Constant\u2019<\/h3>\n

Another documentary, Netflix\u2019s Avicii \u2014 I\u2019m Tim<\/em>, which hit the streamer in December 2024, highlights just how much the DJ began to rely on prescription drugs to suppress his growing anxiety. \u201cI just felt anxious,\u201d he explained in voiceover. \u201cI didn\u2019t know where the anxiety came from. I could feel it physically in my gut. It was like a stone in my gut, that\u2019s how it felt. And it was constant. A constant emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview with CBS This Morning<\/em><\/a> in 2019, Avicii\u2019s father, Klas<\/strong>, said that his son had also struggled with anxiety. He said that he and wife, Anki<\/strong>, saw their son\u2019s anxiety as a teenager and connected him with professional help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a child that\u2019s not feeling well, you try everything to get the situation right again,\u201d Klas said. \u201cAnd you try to understand what\u2019s going on. So, we went to a psychiatrist. I think he was 14 or 15, yeah. And he sort of calmed Tim down.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when it became apparent that his son was misusing substances as a coping mechanism, Klas eventually staged an intervention with the help of Arash Pournouri<\/strong>, Avicii\u2019s co-producer and manager. Though initially reluctant, Avicii did agree to get treatment. \u201cIt finally registered. We were thrilled. It got through to him,\u201d Klas said in the Netflix doc. \u201cI think he realized it was time for him to do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n DJ Avicii spins at Marquee on June 17, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez\/WireImage)<\/span> Johnny Nunez\/WireImage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After his son\u2019s death, Klas told CBS This Morning<\/em> that his son had been very open about his struggles with anxiety and depression because \u201che was searching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re an active producer, artist, your mind almost all the time is on,\u201d Klas continued. \u201cHe was producing music almost all the time. So, I think that he needed something to balance this. That\u2019s why he tried to go into \u2026 thinking about life and ways to get a little calmer life \u2026 so, meditation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avicii reportedly tried to meditate for full days as opposed to timed increments, and a friend expressed concerns that he was refusing to take breaks to eat or speak.<\/p>\n

Despite being aware of his struggles, having support around him and trying to use coping tools outside of substance misuse, he often felt overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

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