Nile Rodgers, a music veteran and friend of Swedish DJ Avicii, who suddenly passed away on Apr. 20 st the age of 28, spoke out about the late star’s alcohol issues and revealed that he was drunk the last time they saw each other three years ago. “He had promised me he would stop drinking, and when I saw him he was drunk that night,” Nile told the Associated Press, which was reported by Daily Mail. “And I was like, ‘Whoa. Dude. C’mon. What are you doing? What’s going on? You said that that was done.’ 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.”
Despite his worrying about Avicii, whose real name is Tim Bergling, Nile was still shocked when he found out about his passing. “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,” he continued. He took to Twitter to tweet some words about Avicii shortly after news of his death hit the internet. “Dear Tim your family have my most heartfelt condolences. You were my little bro. Love always,” his tweet read.
Nile’s concerns about Avicii reflect the EDM DJ’s past. He retired back in 2016 due to unknown health concerns and reportedly suffered from acute pancreatitis believed to be from heavy drinking. He also had his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014. He was found dead on Apr. 20 in Muscat, Oman, just a few days after he was full of smiles in fan photos.
#RIPAVICII Dear Tim your family have my most heartfelt condolences. You were my little bro. Love always.
— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) April 20, 2018