"WAKE ME UP" STAR-AVICII DIES AT A TENDER AGE OF 28

At the time of his retirement, Bergling posted a note to his fans on his official website, saying, “Last year I quit performing live, and many of you thought that was it. But the end of live [performances] never meant the end of Avicii or my music. Instead, I went back to the place where it all made sense — the studio. The next stage will be all about my love of making music to you guys. It is the beginning of something new. Hope you´ll enjoy it as much as I do.”

The 2017 documentary, Avicii: True Stories, chronicled the artist’s public retirement and his health concerns, which were primarily caused by excessive drinking.

Though he was still relatively early in his career, Bergling released multiple well-known singles, including his breakout single, Levels, which propelled him into international fame, and two studio albums and four EPs. He had collaborated with a wide range of other artists, including Zac Brown, Chris Martin, Wyclef Jean, and others, and earned multiple Grammy nominations. A third studio album was in production at the time of his passing.

Aside from a prolific music career, Bergling was also a philanthropist. In 2011, following the success of Levels, he began the charity House for Hunger, which is dedicated to ending world hunger, along with his manager Arash Pournouri.  The charity contributed to the Feeding America charity and former First Lady Laura Bush’s The Feed Foundation, which distributes more than 2 million meals for school children across Africa.