By JOHN DALY
The father of beloved Swedish DJ Avicii spoke about his son’s suicide to CBS in an interview that will air Wednesday.
In a “CBS This Morning” episode called “Stop the Sigma: A conversation About Mental Health,” Klas Bergling, the father of Avicii, said he wants his son to be remembered as a “good person.”
“He had a good heart,” Klas Bergling told the U.S. broadcaster about his son, who committed suicide in April of 2018. The interview airs Wednesday, October 23.
Avicii, whose real name is Tim Bergling, skyrocketed to worldwide success with the song “Wake Me Up,” released in 2013. Earlier this year, his parents started The Tim Bergling Foundation in their son’s name.
Klas Bergling and wife, Anki, told CBS they first saw signs of anxiety in their son when he was a teen. He started seeing a psychiatrist when he was 14 or 15 and it provided some relief.
Read our Review of the Avicii documentary, “Avicii: True Stories.”
Review: Netflix Doc on Swedish DJ, ‘Avicii: True Stories’ is a Cold Night’s Tale
Did Avicii talk to his parents about anxiety?
“Oh, yeah,” said the father. “I had experience myself as young. If you have experienced it yourself, you know that there are ways to get more balanced life.”
Klas Bergling was involved in his son’s life and in his business. Despite that, the suicide was not expected even though the parents’ were familiar with their son’s issues.
“The suicide came as a shock to all of us,” he said. “And we thought that he was really on a better way before.”
The parents said, as it would be for anyone, it’s difficult for them since their son’s death.
“It’s ups and downs,” Klas Bergling said. “It’s a life before. And now it’s a life after. That’s the best way you can express it.”
Procees from a third Avicii album called “Tim,” is going to the Tim Bergling Foundation, which his parents started.
A goal of the foundation is to try to get people talking about mental health and eliminate the stigma associated with mental illnesses.