HEART OF GOLD
Avicii donated MILLIONS to hunger relief charity in bid to share his £60million fortune
THE full extent of Avicii’s generous nature has been revealed just a week after his death in Oman, with the DJ giving away millions to charities.
Due to his chart-topping songs such as Wake Me Up and Hey Brother as well as being able to command fees around $250,000 for a club gig the Swedish DJ is believed to have amassed a fortune of around £60million.
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But the 28-year-old, real name Tim Bergling, gave millions away to charities to help hunger relief.
He is said to have given away $1m from his 27-date House for Hunger tour of the United States in 2012 to the charity Feeding America.
The following year he gave another million euros to the Swedish aid organisation Radiohjälpen.
Avicii said in a 2013 interview: "I discovered when I started making money that I didn't really need it.
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"When you have such an excess of money you don't need, the most sensible, most human and completely obvious thing is to give to people in need."
In 2015, he tackled the issues of human trafficking and gang violence when he directed the videos for his tracks For a Better Day and Pure Grinding.
"All the songs have a story I wanted to tell," Avicii said at the time.
Although he gained recognition for a string of singles he really became a global success with the song Levels in 2011 which sampled Etta James and hit platinum status in at least ten countries.
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Avicii also worked with a host of big names outside of the EDM (electronic dance music) world, namely Coldplay, Robbie Williams, Rita Ora, Lenny Kravitz and Leona Lewis.
According to Forbes magazine, he earnt $19m from a worldwide arena tour in 2015.
The Swedish DJ quit touring in 2016 after life on the road seriously impacted his health.
Avicii's health problems began in January 2012, when he spent 11 days in hospital with acute pancreatitis, reportedly caused by heavy drinking.
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"Drinking became routine for me, but it's impossible to keep up touring and drinking at the same time, because you are going to crash," he told the in 2014.
Two years later, in 2015, Tim chose to highlight the issues of gang violence and human trafficking when he directed the music videos of his two songs Pure Grinding and For A Better Day.
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He also battled mental and physical health problems, in part caused by his heavy drinking, and friends expressed concern he was overdoing it.
Earlier this week, Tim's family released an open letter in which they hinted he had taken his own life.
In their letter published on and translated from its original Swedish, they wrote: "Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers to existential questions.
"An over-achieving perfectionist who travelled and worked hard at a pace that led to extreme stress.
"When he stopped touring, he wanted to find a balance in life to be happy and be able to do what he loved most – music."
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They went on: "He really struggled with thoughts about Meaning, Life, Happiness. He could not go on any longer. He wanted to find peace.
"Tim was not made for the business machine he found himself in; he was a sensitive guy who loved his fans but shunned the spotlight.
"Tim, you will forever be loved and sadly missed.
"The person you were and your music will keep your memory alive. We love you. Your family."
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