Netflix's Upcoming Avicii Documentary Gives a Heartbreaking and Chilling Look at the Late DJ's Life
Eight months after Avicii passed away, Netflix will release a documentary on the late DJ, and it's incredibly heartbreaking.
The documentary was filmed over the course of four years, and throughout that time, Avicii, whose real name is Tim Bergling, can be seen saying, "There was never an end to the shows, even when I hit a wall. My life is all about stress." Toward the end, he said touring can be so stressful and difficult that "it will kill me."
And at one point, Avicii's manager, Ash Pournouri, admitted, "Tim is going to die, with all the interviews, radio tours and playing. He'll drop dead."
In April this year, the 28-year-old DJ was found dead in Oman. TMZ later reported that his death was confirmed as a suicide, and in the footage, his family said he "could not go on any longer."
The footage makes it apparent that Avicii had struggled with feeling the need to be successful to financially provide for his team, and he also turned to alcohol to help him with performing. During filming, Avicii said, "If I don't [drink] I gradually get more and more nervous before shows." In 2012 he was hospitalized for 11 days because of health issues caused by excessive drinking, and he had to remove his appendix and gallbladder in 2014. After the surgery, doctors had given him prescriptions for opiates, which added to his substance abuse.
Along with Avicii's exhaustion and anxiety, one of his friends described him as "a shell of what he used to be," and another said he was "a ticking timebomb."
Because the documentary was filmed and had a limited release after Avicii stepped back from touring but before he died, the final scenes are meant to be quietly celebratory and show Avicii relaxing on a beach in Madagascar. Instead, it comes off as "chillingly false," according to the director.
The documentary was originally only intended for a limited release in Europe, but Netflix will release it for streaming in the U.S. and the U.K. on December 28.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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