The Tragic Truth Behind Avicii’s Death: the Secret Struggles That Ended Tim Bergling’s Life
By Alexander Ross
The tragedy hit the public even harder because the warning signs had been documented in plain sight. Director Levan Tsikurishvili followed Bergling for four years to produce the documentary Avicii: True Stories, released late in 2017. The footage is difficult to watch. It depicts a young man visibly emaciated, sitting in hospital beds hooked up to IV drips, while telephone calls buzz in the background discussing impending show dates.
In one chilling sequence, Bergling speaks candidly to the camera about his decision to stop performing: "I have told them this: I won't be able to play anymore. I have said, like, 'I'm going to die.' I have said it so many times. And so I don't want to hear that I should entertain the thought of doing another gig."
The film captures the friction between Bergling and his business team, including former manager Arash "Ash" Pournouri. While Pournouri helped guide Avicii to international superstardom, the film showed an infrastructure that struggled to accept that the cash cow was running out of steam. Every cancelled date meant hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds and logistical penalties. The commercial apparatus prioritized momentum over the artist's survival.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
