It was a fitting tribute.
Hearing of Avicii’s death the same day he was performing at Coachella, DJ Kygo dedicated the last song of his set to his friend, who died Friday at 28. It was, he said, his favorite Avicii tune: “Without You.”
“Avicii was my biggest musical inspiration, and he was the reason I started making music,” Kygo told his audience at the Indio, California, festival. “I don’t think I would be on this stage tonight if it wasn’t for him.”
Avicii was “a true musical genius,” Kygo said.
Grammy-nominated Avicii, a Swedish DJ whose real name was Tim Bergling, was found dead Friday in Oman. One of the most successful DJs in the industry, he worked with influential artists including Madonna, and tributes filled social media as news of his death spread.
“Thank you, Tim” was the message on Coachella’s tweeted tribute.
Avicii admitted to struggling with fame and was open about his bouts with anxiety, stress, drinking and the health issues those caused. In August 2016, he retired from touring.
“Creating music is what makes me happy and I have gotten to know so many great people in my days of touring, seen so many amazing places and created endless of good memories,” he posted on social media at the time.
“The decision I made might seem odd to some but everyone is different and for me this was the right one.”
The cause of his death has not been released.
CNN’s Faith Karimi and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.