Google Doodle honors Avicii during National Suicide Prevention Week
Tim Bergling, the Swedish DJ known as Avicii who died by suicide at the age of 28 in April 2018, is the subject of a new Google Doodle unveiled ahead of the performer's birthday on Wednesday, which happens to coincide with this year's National Suicide Prevention Week.
The image was created by artists Alyssa Winans, Olivia When, and Sophie Diao, and is set to Bergling's "Wake Me Up" track.
"The truth is Tim struggled a great deal during the touring part of his adulthood, and I wanted to find a way to both touch on the realities of that experience, while still celebrating and honoring his life in a way that fit the lyrics and tone of the track," Winans said. "I ultimately decided to spend the majority of the video on the aspects of his life he loved, with a few symbolic moments to allude to some of the more emotionally challenging experiences."
In a written tribute to Bergling, Google recognizes the Tim Bergling Foundation, which was set up by the musician's family to honor Bergling and remove the stigma attached to suicide.
IBL/REX/Shutterstock The Tim Bergling Foundation was set up by the Avicii' family to honor Bergling and remove the stigma attached to suicide.
Bergling's father, Klas, shared his thoughts on the artist rendering in a statement released on Tuesday.
"I will never forget when Tim played in a park called Str?mparterren in Stockholm in the early days of his career. He'd told me explicitly to not come — maybe because it wasn't very cool to have your father around at that age — but I went anyway and hid behind a tree," he recalled. "It was a great evening and I remember feeling surprised, amazed and very proud. When I came to find him backstage afterwards, he was so glad I came.
"The Doodle is fantastic, my family and I feel honored and Tim would have been very proud and love it," he continued. "It is a friendly and warm story of a young man fulfilling his dream to be a DJ and at the same time telling us that our journey in life is not always easy despite fame and fortune."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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