Tiesto reacts to Avicii’s death

Amid the news that superstar DJ/producer Avicii died on Friday, his good friend Tiesto reacts to the news on SiriusXM in an over the phone chat. The news came as a huge shock to him, as he checked his phone after last nights set in Las Vegas to see over 200 messages from DJ’s, family and friends. Tiesto says the last time he saw Avicii – real name Tim Bergling – that:

“He looked really healthy when I saw him but on the inside maybe he wasn’t”

With the news coming as a surprise to fans, fellow producers and followers across the world, a number of DJ’s have reacted with their messages and condolences. Tiesto recalls how the pair met in Sweden around 2010, back before his early productions when Avicii “used to send me (Tiesto) mashups”. Although his production quality was undeniable, he did not share the same love for DJing. During the phone call, when asked about their relationship, Tiesto explains how Tim got stressed, and his stage freight made it difficult for him to perform, whilst he would much rather “sit behind a piano” in the studio. He also says how Avicii learned to DJ whilst they were living together in Ibiza.

However, as continuous health problems caused Avicii to stop touring in 2016, the pair drifted slightly, Tiesto recalls, but recently met for dinner in Los Angeles just two months ago. Amongst their discussions at this dinner was the talk of a comeback for Avicii, who said how he was planning to “release a lot of new tracks”, and though he wasn’t ready just yet, it appeared to be a future aspiration to bring the likes of Levels, Seek Bromance, and more recently Without You, back to festivals and arena’s across the world. Tiesto says how he feels that the Swedish House Mafia reunion was Avicii’s inspiration to return, and that he had received a text saying how Bergling was planning to attend the reunion, but decided not to.

Avicii’s death in Oman on Friday was a shock to the entire music industry, and this interview from Tiesto shows the impact that his music, and persona, had on electronic music lovers around the world.

Listen to the interview in full: