Diplo Remembers Avicii: ‘You Were the Gold Standard’
Diplo penned a tribute to Avicii hours after it was revealed that the influential DJ-producer born Tim Bergling had died at the age of 28.
“You set the precedent for the rest of us producers/ opened doors and set the trends,” Diplo wrote on Instagram. “A real groundbreaker and influencer to all your peers . You should have lived to be 150… but your music is gonna live forever. I’m not just saying that… but you are the only one to always make timeless songs.”
Bergling, as Avicii, helped break EDM into the mainstream with his hit singles “Levels” and “Wake Me Up.” The producer, who retired from touring in 2016, died from unknown causes in Muscat, Oman, his rep confirmed.
“You were the gold standard,” Diplo continued next to a photo of the two producers. “You made me want try and make dance music when i first heard ‘seek bromance.’ And then u kept making feel like shit cause you kept gettin better and i couldn’t even mix a snare right… you were the best of this generation. A real superstar.”
In 2013, Avicii remixed “Get Free” for Diplo’s Major Lazer. That same year, Diplo provided a remix of Avicii’s “You Make Me.”
“I know you had your demons and maybe this wasn’t the right place for you sometimes , but we need to protect true artists like you at all costs because there are not enough left and we are losing too many,” Diplo concluded. “Be good Tim.”
Following the sudden news of Bergling’s death, many in the EDM community – including David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Calvin Harris and others – also remembered the late DJ on social media.