Avicii's Dad Reveals He Staged 'Excruciatingly Painful' Intervention for Late Producer Prior to His 2018 Death

Avicii’s father reflects on the difficult moment he was forced to perform an intervention for the late music producer.

New Netflix documentary Avicii — I’m Tim sheds new light on the star’s mental issues leading up to his 2018 death by suicide at age 28 — including an anxiety-fueled addiction to painkillers.

In the documentary, Avicii’s (born Tim Bergling) father Klas says he once organized an intervention for the producer of “Razine” with the help of Arash “Ash” Pournouri, the star’s longtime co-producer, co-writer and manager.

The intervention came amid a pivotal point in Bergling’s career, as he was unhappy about having to balance his on-stage persona with his real-life persona, and had developed an addiction to painkillers, which he “justified as suppressing his anxiety,” close friend Jesse Waits says in the doc.

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“I just felt anxious. I didn’t know where that anxiety was coming from,” Bergling says in a voiceover. “I could physically feel it in my gut. It was like a stone in my stomach, that was the feeling. And it was constant. Constant emotion.”

Klass’ intervention involved the star’s friends, siblings and tour management — and he wasn’t happy about it.

“As he got closer, he could see all of us there. It was excruciatingly painful to see the expression in his eyes. Oh man, that was really rough,” Klas recalls in the documentary. “Then everyone said how worried they were, and Tim… was pretty furious at first.”

Klas says that the intervention lasted “for hours”, and that his son did not move for a long time.

“He refused to give in. But eventually something made him say, ‘Okay, I’m going to get help.’ I said, ‘Okay, thanks,'” he recalls. “It finally registered. It got to him, I think.

Avicii’s father Klas Bergling speaks live on stage during Avicii’s mental health awareness concert at Friends Area on December 5, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Michael Campanella/Redferns

In the voiceover, Bergling says he began seeing psychiatrists and doctors, and even tried to change his diet and exercise routine to feel better. He explains that he no longer enjoyed making music, so he changed his way of working by clearing his schedule completely.

“I’m trying to find a balance,” he says. “Balance in life, with friends and family.”

Bergling seemed to find a semblance of that balance for a while, as he said in a different voice that he felt “really happy” to be “free” from the constraints of his hectic tour schedule and record label. In the fall of 2017, he began practicing transcendental meditation and began creating what would become a posthumous album in 2019. Team.

Avicii Shares His Own Story In Trailer For New Netflix Documentary ‘I’m Tim’ 6 Years After Death — Watch

Following Bergling’s rise to DJ superstardom thanks to hits like “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother,” the documentary traces the star’s struggles with life in the spotlight — and the aftermath of his tragic death in April 2018 while on vacation in Muscat, Oman.

“I don’t think anyone really knows why or what happened. No one knows what was going through his head,” says Waits. “It’s anyone’s guess. He seemed good to everyone I talked to [was] around him. He was just in a good place. It’s hard to accept.”

Klas says that “none of us can imagine that something like this could happen”.

The documentary features narration by the late Bergling himself, as well as new interviews with friends, family and collaborators such as Chris Martin and Aloe Blacc. The film, directed by Henrik Burman, also features home videos from the star’s childhood, as well as behind-the-scenes clips of the creation of some of his biggest hits.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Source: HIS Education