Nightclubs pay tribute to Avicii after his death in Oman at 28

MIAMI BEACH – Avicii, born Tim Bergling, was a beloved international pop star and a Miami and South Beach regular. He performed his well-known electronic dance songs at the Ultra Music Festival and at Swedish House Mafia and filled local nightclubs.

"Avicii's very first time in Miami was at Mynt ... it was all about work for him. His mind couldn't rest," Romain Zago, the nightclub's owner, wrote on social media. 

Many DJs were getting ready to play his most recognized song at nightclubs worldwide this weekend in his honor. "Wake Me Up" was a multi-platinum success and peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. On the dance charts, he had seven Top 10 hits.

The Miami party scene that saw Avicii grow up was in mourning. The Grammy-nominated electronic dance DJ who performed sold-out concerts for feverish fans around the world and also had massive success on U.S. pop radio died Friday. He was 28.

"I’m shocked because I don’t know medically what happened, but I can just say as a person, as a friend, and more importantly, as a musician, Tim was one of the greatest, natural melody writers I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve worked with some of the most brilliant musicians on this planet,” said his friend Nile Rodgers.

Publicist Diana Baron said in a statement that Avicii was found dead in Muscat, Oman, the capital of the sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, and a popular vacation destination on the Arabian Sea. 

"It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii," the statement read. "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."

Rodgers said his last performance with Avicii — about three years ago — upset him because of Avicii’s drinking.

"It was a little bit sad to me because he had promised me he would stop drinking, and when I saw him he was drunk that night. And I was like, 'Whoa. Dude. C’mon. What are you doing? What’s going on? You said that that was done,'" Rodgers said. "We did a show and I was a little upset. I didn’t even stick around for his performance because it was breaking my heart. But we still had a great time. It was wonderful — we were that close."

Avicii suffered acute pancreatitis, in part due to excessive drinking. After having his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014, he canceled a series of shows in attempt to recover. His death happened two years after the performer announced he was retiring from the road due to health issues.

"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 The Hollywood Reporter 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 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 his first Grammy nomination at the 2012 show — for a collaboration with Guetta. It was around the time he gained more fame for the Etta James-sampled dance jam, “Le7els,” which reached No. 1 in Sweden.

He continued to collaborate with more high-profile acts, producing Madonna’s "Devil Pray" and the Coldplay hits, "A Sky Full of Stars" and "Hymn for the Weekend." He was even part of Mike Posner’s mega-hit "I Took a Pill in Ibiza," which featured the lyrics: "I took a pill in Ibiza/To show Avicii I was cool.” The song was based off Posner’s true story at an Avicii concert in Ibiza.

Avicii is the subject of the 2017 Levan Tsikurishvil documentary "Avicii: True Stories." Last year, Avicii posted this message on his website, promising to keep creating: "The next stage will be all about my love of making music to you guys. It is the beginning of something new."

He leaves behind his Pup Liam, the star in his social media posts and his last choice of six tracks on Soundcloud, where he had 1.8 million followers.  

Mourning his death on social media 

"Something really horrible happened. We lost a friend with such a beautiful heart and the world lost an incredibly talented musician," Guetta wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for your beautiful melodies, the time we shared in the studio, playing together as djs or just enjoying life as friends. RIP @avicii."

Calvin Harris called Avicii "a beautiful soul, passionate and extremely talented with so much more to do." Ellie Goulding wrote that Avicii “inspired so many of us. Wish I could have said that to you in person."

Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia , who knew Avicii from playing at their wedding, said they were saddened by his death.

"We are grateful that we got to know him and admired him as an artist and the great person he was. He made our wedding unforgettable with his amazing music. Our warmest thoughts go to his family," they said in a joint statement.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the lost star "one of Sweden’s biggest musicians."

Avicii, a two-time Grammy nominee, won two MTV Europe Music Awards and one Billboard Music Award. His death comes just days after he was nominated for a 2018 Billboard Music Award for top dance/electronic album for his EP "Avicii (01)."

His ex-girlfriend Emily Goldberg mourned the loss on Instagram. 

"'Come on babe, don’t give up on us. Choose me, and I’ll show you love.' Those are lyrics from a song Tim wrote for me. I wish I could have lived up to them. For the two years we were together, he was my closest confidante, and my best friend. Now I can’t look at Bear without knowing I’ll never see his face again," she wrote. "I’m still collecting my thoughts and thank you for all your kind words and texts. Wake me up when it’s all over, because I don’t want it to be real."

Fan tributes on Instagram