Insider Look Behind The DJ Booth 15 Facts About The Late Avicii

It's always super sad when a celebrity passes young (or when a non-celeb does too, of course), and the news always feels very sudden and confusing. This past Friday afternoon, April 20th 2018, news broke that Swedish DJ Avicii had tragically passed away. No cause yet was given in all of the media reports.

If you don't think that you've heard of him, or you're not sure that you've listened to any of his music, think again. He was super popular and successful so chances are, you know at least one of his tunes, if not more (or all of them). Even though he was from Sweden, his influence had grown over the years and he became very well-known in the U.S. as well as his home country. His most famous song is arguably "Wake Me Up" which you would only need to listen to for a few seconds to realize that, yup, you definitely are familiar with him and his work. Several celebrities took to social media to express their sadness over his passing, and because he was only 28 years old, it feels even more unfair and tragic.

Do you want to know more about the successful DJ? Read on for an insider look at the late Avicii. Here are 15 facts about him.

15 He Stopped Performing Live In 2016

Around two years before his tragic passing, Avicii had stopped performing live. He made this decision back in 2016.

What was the reason for this? He had some things going on with his health (more on that soon).

This was definitely a big moment in his life and probably felt like a defining one, too, since DJs are all about live performances.

That's kind of their thing since it seems like they really shine when they are in front of a crowd of people who are enjoying the music that they're mixing and creating. For fans who are devastated by his tragic and untimely passing, the news that he was going to stop his live performances must have been really sad, and now the fact that he is gone is even sadder.

14 His Real Name Was Tim

If you're wondering if Avicii was his real name or his stage name, the latter is true. His real name was not actually Avicii. It was actually Tim and Avicii was the name that he picked for his DJ career.

When a celebrity calls themselves by a name other than the one that they were given by their parents, that always makes them even more fascinating. It proves their intelligence and creativity. It's always interesting to find out what their real name is. "Tim" sounds so different from his stage name that we probably wouldn't have guessed that was his given name. We wonder if his friends and family called him Tim or if they called him by the stage name, which was how everyone else knew him? This is probably not something that we're ever going to find out but it does make you think.

13 He Began His DJing At The Age Of 8

For a lot of celebrities, they found out from a super young age that they had a skill and talent that is not only rare in adults but also in children. A lot of actors start performing in elementary school and a lot of singers can't help but belt out some tunes when they're the same age.

For Avicii, he discovered that he loved being a DJ when he was only eight years old.

He would actually be a DJ in his bedroom when he was growing up, which is really cool and very inspiring to hear. It makes these tragic events even worse because he was so young and it's clear that he was such a big talent. There was so much more than he could have created and accomplished.

12 He Was The Very First DJ At Radio City Music Hall

When you think of Radio City Music Hall, aka one of the infamous music venues ever, you don't really think of a DJ. It seems like singers and bands are the musicians who are invited to perform there. But as it turns out, there have been a few DJs who have performed there, including the late DJ.

According to Rolling Stone, Avicii was the first DJ to perform at that iconic venue.

This is super groundbreaking for the house music genre. He did that in September of 2012. It's definitely very inspiring when someone breaks down barriers and does something that is totally groundbreaking. This is yet another reason that it's so heartbreaking that he's gone. The music industry will absolutely miss him and his memory will live on since he left so many amazing songs behind.

11 His Stage Name Was Inspired By An Obscure Concept

If you're wondering where the name "Avicii" comes from, you're not alone there. When you first heard about the Sweden-born DJ, this was most likely the first thought that you had. Well, maybe after thinking that the name sounded super cool because it really does. So maybe this was the second thought that you had.

He was inspired by a Buddhist concept about hell, which is “Avici." He put one more "i" at the end of the name and that was it -- he had found his stage name and what he was going to go by for his DJ career. That's an interesting explanation, isn't it? He seemed like such a smart, thoughtful guy, and the explanation behind his stage name proves that for sure.

10 He Had Some Serious Health Issues

There is no official word on how Avicii passed away, and while it's unclear whether his past health problems contributed to his passing, one thing is clear: he had some hard times when it came to his health.

According to Pitchfork, he had acute pancreatitis which was from drinking too much. While there is still speculation around the cause of his passing, people are saying that these health issues was why he stopped performing live a few years ago and changed up his schedule in that way.

According to The Independent, the DJ had surgery to remove both his appendix and his gallbladder in 2014.

Until we get a direct statement from a coroner nobody can know for sure what the cause of his passing actually was, but having major surgery and removing two organs can definitely take a tole on the human body.

9 He Got A Lot Of Awards (And Nominations) For His Talent

Avicii was definitely super successful in his industry and did so well for himself. It's inspiring and makes this whole situation just that more heartbreaking.

Awards are a tricky thing. Sometimes artists aren't recognized for their efforts or talent or hard work at all, and it can be pretty devastating. Fans wonder why no one else could see how great they were and think that it's just so unfair. That's why there are so many articles published about award nomination snubs after the Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy lists come out every year. Avicii got a lot of awards and also nominations. In 2013, he won "Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist" at the Amercian Music Awards. The next year, he won "Top Electronic Dance Song" at the Billboard Awards for his iconic tune, "Wake Me Up." He was nominated for two Grammys and that's just a small number of his noms. It's so impressive.

8 He Was Actually Super Shy

It might seem like if someone is any kind of celebrity, whether a singer or actress or whatever else, they would be super outgoing and gregarious and friendly.

After all, if celebrities are living their life in the spotlight, they must have no issues with insecurity or shyness, right?

Wrong. As it turns out, Avicii was really shy, according to what he told Us Weekly in their column called "25 things you don't know about me." He said that he had trouble talking to people sometimes. This is probably not what we would expect to hear from him or any other celebrity, and honestly, it's very refreshing and relatable to hear this from a famous person. He really seemed like such a nice guy and not your typical celebrity.

7 He Had Troubles With His Complexion

Did you struggle with acne when you were a child, pre-teen, or teenager? Chances are, the answer is yes because let's face it, that's a pretty common thing. It's not really possible to grow up without having a few pimple outbreaks.

While this can make you feel kind of gross and unattractive and like no one would ever like you, it's just part of growing up and can definitely be chalked up to puberty and growing pains. It's so nice and comforting when you read that a celebrity has struggled with things like that too, and it makes them so much more relatable. Avicii said, in the same Us Weekly column, that when he was a kid, he had acne. It's probably not what you would expect to hear from a famous DJ.

6 He Would Charge $250,000 Each Night For His DJing

Do you wonder what a famous DJ will charge when they're working each night? You might think that starting out, you could only charge maybe a few hundred bucks, if you were lucky, and as you rose through the ranks of the industry, you would be making super big bucks.

Avicii would charge $250,000 each night when he was DJing… which is definitely not a small chunk of change.

You might think that was a lot or you might think that it could have gone much higher, depending on how you feel about money. But, arguably, that's still a lot of money and proves that he had done really well for himself. It's just so sad to think about this loss and what he could have continued to do.

5 He Had A Charity Called 'House For Hunger'

A lot of celebrities do some charity work, but whether they're really into it and have their own foundation because they care about certain causes or whether they're just doing it for a show is up for debate. There are a lot of celebs who seem to only be in it for the photo ops and the fancy dinners and events where they can walk the red carpet and have everyone say how pretty they are.

Not Avicii, of course, which you can probably tell from the rest of this list. He seemed like a really nice person. He had his own charity called House for Hunger and he was really passionate about stopping hunger. The title of the charity combined the genre of music he created and what he was trying to battle. It seems like he was really committed and really cared about this, which is inspiring and motivating.

4 He Worked On A Coldplay Song

Of all of Avicii's songs, you probably know "Wake Me Up" the best (and might have even had that song stuck in your head for quite a while after you first heard it). That is the song that will go down as his legacy and that people will remember the most, whether they were super loyal, big fans or just heard a few of his tunes.

There's another famous song that he worked on that you most likely know very well. Avicii helped write and also produced a Coldplay song. Which one?

That would be "A Sky Full Of Stars." It's, no doubt, an incredibly beautiful song that is also really inspiring,

This makes sense since the late DJ basically seemed to be a good, decent, sweet, inspiring guy.

3 He Loved Reading Gossip Magazines

You probably wouldn't expect to hear that Avicii was a big fan of gossip magazines, but the late DJ would keep us all guessing, whether he was putting out amazing new music or admitting that he loved reading tabloids, which he definitely did.

In his Us Weekly story, he said that he loved gossip mags, which is super charming and sweet. He called them his "guilty pleasure" which just goes to show that he was just a regular guy. It's always cool when someone gets rid of gender stereotypes and admits that they like something that they're not "supposed" to. Your boyfriend might never admit that he likes looking at your copies of People when you're not around, but hey, he just might consider them his guilty pleasure too. You never know.

2 He Wore His Signature Hats For A Reason

In a lot of photos of Avicii when he was performing live, he would wear baseball caps. This became his signature style and something that people recognized as his thing.

He told Us Weekly,

"I started wearing caps because my hair looked ridiculous after every show from all the sweat and the onstage fans blowing on me."

Isn't that just so cute and so sweet? Doesn't that make him even more charming and adorable than he already was? Yes, it totally does. It's super sad to think that fans will never get to see him wearing baseball caps to cover up his sweaty locks when he's performing onstage. Yes, he did give up performing live a few years back because of his health issues, but anything is possible and maybe he would have started up again. It's just a tragedy all around.

1 His Single Beat Out 'One Direction'

His song “Wake Me Up” was higher than One Direction's song “Best Song Ever” on the charts in the U.K. That is so amazing and proves that he was doing so well in his industry.

When a song gets super popular, it starts being played literally everywhere. You hear it on the radio, on TV shows, when you're working out at your local studio or gym, in bars or restaurants. It's impossible to get away from. Some people might not like that and claim that songs get way too overplayed and it's annoying, but others are all about keeping up with Top 40. With Avicii'ss hit song "Wake Me Up," people just went nuts for it and couldn't get enough, and that will definitely be his legacy.

References: Pitchfork.com, Boomsbeat.com, Rollingstone.com, Planetrainradio.co.uk, Usmagazine.com, Popsugar.com, Independent.co.uk