On Friday, April 20, the music world was dealt a heavy blow in the premature death of renowned producer Avicii.

While the cause of death had been kept a secret by his family for a few days after his death, they have since released a statement saying that he wanted to “find peace”.

“Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers to existential questions, an over-achieving perfectionist who traveled and worked hard at a pace that led to extreme stress,” the statement, obtained by Rolling Stone, read. “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.”

Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, was born on September 8, 1989, in Sweden. He started producing music when he was 16 years old. Posting primarily remixes of popular songs, his debut single “Seek Bromance” landed him a record deal in 2010. However, it wasn’t until “Levels” in 2011 that he saw mainstream success.

He followed “Levels” with his debut album, titled “True”. The album was critically acclaimed on launch, and featured tracks such as “Wake Me Up”, “You Make Me”, “Hey Brother”, “Lay Me Down”, “Addicted to You”, and “Dear Boy”. Many of the songs were listed in the Top 100 charts.

“That album was unbelievable,” junior Alex Berg said, “It’s one of my favorite albums of all time. Every song just feels so different and fresh. It’s unbelievable”

In 2014 Avicii released remixes to each song on the album in a mixtape called “True: Avicii by Avicii”. While promoting the remixed album at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Avicii was hospitalized and underwent surgery to remove both his appendix and gallbladder. According to the New York Times, this was due to the heavy amount of drinking he had been doing for years.

This would not stop Avicii from performing and producing, however, and by 2016 he had released another critically acclaimed studio album titled “Stories,” a two song EP known as “The Days/Nights, as well as major collaborations with artists like Madonna, Adam Lambert, Wyclef Jean, Mike Posner, the Zac Brown Band, Martin Garrix, Jon Bon Jovi, and many others. His track “We Will Find A Way,” featuring Wyclef Jean, Carlos Santana, and Alexandre Pires, was used as the official anthem at the closing ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

“It was banger after banger,” senior Nitish Raja said, “Everything he released was amazing, his way with music was unbelievable.”

Despite his fame, Avicii would step down from performing in 2016, citing health issues according to the New York Times. He stated he would not stop producing music, and released a six song EP titled “Avicii (01)” in 2017. Later that year he was featured in a documentary about his life titled “Avicii: True Stories”.

He had planned to release two more EP’s in the future, however none had been released before he passed away.