Swedish-born producer and DJ Avicii. (Reuters)

Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii’s sudden demise has indeed come as shock not only to the music world but also his family and fans. One of the biggest stars of electronic dance music (EDM) in Europe was found dead on Friday. Avicii, whose real name is Tim Bergling, died in Muscat, Oman, two years after his unusually early retirement, a statement said without specifying a cause. Publicist Diana Baron in a statement wrote, ” It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii.” While the death came as a shock, Avicii has spoken publicly in recent years about his health problems including pancreatitis, triggered in part by excessive drinking.

In his very short career, Avicii had pioneered contemporary Electronic Dance Movement and proved his mettle. He has to his name two MTV Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award and was also nominated for the Grammy twice. His death comes just days after he was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for top dance/electronic album for his EP “Avicii (01).” Five facts about the ‘Levels’ star you should know:

1.Avicii was 8 when he started making mixes in his bedroom. He produced a number of mixes like the remix of ‘Lazy Jones’ which was the theme song for the Commodore 64 game.

2. The Wake Me Up singer described electronic dance music trio Swedish House Mafia and DJ Eric Prydz as his main influences in the early days of his career. He also named the likes of Daft Punkrmand Van Helden, Sebastian Ingrosso, Tiësto, Laidback Luke, Steve Angello and Axwell as the people who influenced his musical style.

3. The Vodafone Big Top 40 hit was released on 28th of October 2011 and ‘ Levels’ was already a major hit number. After its official release, it became a huge mainstream hit and greatly influenced Avicii’s popularity. Written by the musician himself, it also contains a vocal sample from the 1962 gospel-inspired ‘Something’s Got a Hold on Me’ by Etta James.

4. Avicii was a philanthropist to the core and he gave a proof of his charitable nature just after one year into stardom. He announced that he was giving a million dollar pay cheque as a donation. He donated the sum to Feeding America, a US-based network of food banks fighting hunger around the world.

5. In his songs, Avicii had drawn the attention of the crowd towards fighting child trafficking. In two of his music videos he voiced against human trafficking. “The promise of a better life often traps families and children into being used as tools for some of the most despicable people on Earth,” he said in a statement.