Avicii dead at 28 Swedish DJ Tim Bergling's body found in Oman leaving f...

Avicii dead at 28 Swedish DJ Tim Bergling's body found in Oman leaving family 'devastated'



World-famous DJ Avicii has died at the age of 28.



The body of the Swedish-born producer, who is known for his EDM hits Wake Me Up,  Levels and Hey Brother, was found in Oman on Friday, a publicist confirmed.



The cause of Avicii's dea*h is not yet known.



Avicii, born Tim Bergling, quit touring in 2016 due to battles with his health, suffering from acute pancreatitis and had to have his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014.



In the past, the DJ struggled with addiction and was hospitalised twice for alcohol related issues.



The musician was seen days ago posing with fans in what could have been his last photo at the luxury Muscat Hills Resort.



The DJ's publicist said in a statement: 'It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii.



'He was found dead in Muscat, Oman this Friday afternoon local time, April 20th.



'The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time. No further statements will be given.'



No more details about his death were provided. Oman police and state media had no immediate report late Friday night on the artist's death.



Avicii battled with acute pancreatitis - which is a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas - due in part to excessive drinking.



As a result he had his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014, cancelling a series of shows in attempt to recover.



He quit touring in 2016 in order to focus on his health and recovery.



In November 2017, footage was released of the musician hospital-ridden in Australia while struggling with his health during his worldwide arena tour.





The snippet was from the Swedish artist's documentary, AVICII: TRUE STORIES. 



The clip was uploaded to Avicii's Facebook and the star admitted at the time he was apprehensive about sharing his in-depth battles against stress, anxiety and illness. 



He wrote about the video: 'I'm really excited. I'm also a bit nervous because it is kind of gritty sometimes. It's very personal. There's a lot of ups and downs. It's going to be interesting to see what people say.'



Footage shot by documentary maker Levan Tsikurishvili between 2013 and 2016 shows Australian doctors telling the DJ his gall bladder needs removing.



'Normally you'd take your gall bladder out before you go home on hospital admission, the reason being, so you don't get another attack in the mean time,' the doctor says.



'We understand your situation in that you're in the middle of a world tour...we think at some stage you need your gall bladder out.'



The video later shows the 28-year-old appearing disoriented and light-headed as he tried to grasp what day it is.



He looked exhausted, and his eyes went into a haze and rolled back into his head several times.



Although the DJ had been hospitalised in the past for excessive drinking, he claimed to have never taken the drug MDMA or Molly, which is known for being popular with fans of his music.



In an interview with GQ in 2013, he said: 'I mean, I want to take it. But I'm sort of afraid of anything that makes you feel out of control.'



In the piece, he also touched on his battle with anxiety and drinking.



He said: 'You are traveling around, you live in a suitcase, you get to this place, there’s free alcohol everywhere—it’s sort of weird if you don’t drink.



'I just got into a habit, because you rely on that encouragement and self-confidence you get from alcohol, and then you get dependent on it.'



Although he quit touring two years ago, the DJ continued making music in the studio, and collaborated with everyone from Madonna to Coldplay.



'It's been a very crazy journey. I started producing when I was 16. I started touring when I was 18. From that point on, I just jumped into 100 percent,' Avicii told Billboard magazine in 2016.



'When I look back on my life, I think: whoa, did I do that? It was the best time of my life in a sense. It came with a price - a lot of stress a lot of anxiety for me - but it was the best journey of my life.'



Avicii was a pioneer of the contemporary Electronic Dance Movement and a rare DJ capable of worldwide arena tour. 



He was part of the wave of DJ-producers, like David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, who broke out on the scene as lead performers in their own right, earning international hits, fame, awards and more like typical pop stars.



Avicii earned $250,000 a night when playing out sold-out shows, according to GQ, and was once named as one of Forbes' highest paid DJs.



He won two MTV Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award and earned two Grammy nominations. Known for Wake Me Up! The Days, You Make Me, and the recent Lonely Together with Rita Ora, Avicii's biggest hit was Levels.