Avicii’s father speaks up after his son’s tribute concert

Thousands of people gathered in Stockholm, Sweden last week for the concert honoring the late Avicii, Tim Bergling.

After Avicii’s tragic death last year, his parents, Klas and Anki Bergling, started The Tim Bergling Foundation, to advocate for the recognition of mental health issues – and specifically suicide – as a global health emergency and support people to openly talk about their struggles.

They have organized a two-hour tribute concert at Friends Arena Stockholm, to let the legacy of Avicii live on, and also to raise awareness about mental illnesses. The concert sold out in record time and was streamed all over the world. The all-star show included performances by some of Avicii’s best friends and colleagues, like Kygo, David Guetta and Nicky Romero.

After the concert, Tim’s father sat down with the Swedish TV channel, TV4, to reflect on recent happenings; how they are dealing with the loss of their son after a year and also about their future plans.

First, he described how proud Tim would be to see his dream come true: his music, played live by instrumentalists. The tribute concert was the first occasion that 19 singers performed his songs alongside a full 30-piece orchestra.

When Klas was asked about the first signs of his son’s mental issues, he answered lengthy, without concealment about Tim’s medication and other substance addictions, and went into details about the measures they have tried throughout the years.

“He (Tim) struggeled with anxiety when he was younger,” but the real issues only started after he was treated with pancreatitis and was prescribed daily painkillers. “In 2015, we realized that this medication had become a problem.”

On a more positive note, he also shared his forward-focus goals. Tim’s family and the foundation try to be the voice to emphasize the importance of talking without the burden of stigma, instead of keeping all your struggles to yourself. With a new initiative called Mind, a helpline that will be open 24/7, they will lend a helping hand for everyone who seeks support.

Although the interview is in Swedish, you can follow the full 30-minutes talk with English subtitles here.

And in case you missed the live stream of the Avicii concert, hereøs a snippet:

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