Nearly two weeks after superstar DJ Avicii was found dead at an Oman resort, celebrity news outlet TMZ has reported the 28-year-old born Tim Bergling took his own life.
Citing two sources with familiar with the Swede‘s death, the report appears to confirm the cause of death his family implied in an earlier statement.
No official cause of death has yet been released by Omani authorities. Earlier, officials stated his death did not appear to be suspicious.
Notably, the recent TMZ report explicitly details the method by which Bergling allegedly took his own life.
While PEDESTRIAN.TV has reported on Bergling’s death and subsequent developments in the story – including his family’s statement implying his death was the result of suicide – we won’t publish explicit details about how he allegedly took his life.
We figured it’d be worthwhile sharing why, so here’s our reasoning.
The Australian Press Council (APC) states that publishing content relating to self-harm and suicide is acceptable if “reporting the death as suicide is clearly in the public interest.”
Bergling was an internationally famous musician with a unique relevance to PEDESTRIAN.TV’s audience – we’d wager the majority of people reading this article have made some memories to Levels – so we considered his death, and his family’s statement insinuating that he took his own life, to be of public interest.
However, APC states “extra caution is required when the material is likely to be read or seen by people who may be especially vulnerable (eg, because of their age or mental health) and relates to suicides by their peers or by celebrities.”
More specifically, the APC pretty clearly advises against reporting on explicit details, with a very specific exception:
The method and location of a suicide should not be described in detail (eg, a particular drug or cliff) unless the public interest in doing so clearly outweighs the risk, if any, of causing further suicides. This applies especially to methods or locations which may not be well known by people contemplating suicide.
That clause points to why we don’t relay specific information relating to suicide and self-harm, even when we do present confronting details relating to other serious events.
Mindframe, an organisation dedicated to the responsible reporting of suicide and mental illness, elaborates on the issue. They explain that “explicit depictions [of suicide] have been linked to increases in the use of that method or location.”
The issue is compounded by the issue of celebrity, a category Bergling 100% falls under. Mindframe resources note “coverage of a celebrity suicide can glamourise and normalise suicide.”
As such, the PEDESTRIAN.TV editorial team doesn’t consider reporting the allegations raised in the new TMZ report, which have subsequently been circulated by other media outlets, to be of significant public benefit.
We also recognise it’s super important for media organisations to provide information regarding counselling and suicide prevention resources in articles discussing suicide and self-harm. You’ll find pointers to such resources at the bottom of this article – and other PEDESTRIAN.TV pieces discussing the issue.
The truth is that anyone, anywhere, can face mental health issues. Internationally-famous DJs are no less susceptible to the factors which can contribute to self-harm than anyone else.
It’s our goal to inform you of these issues when they arise in a news context – but also to do so responsibly, and with clear indications that help is always available. Be well, mates.
If you or someone you know would like to talk to someone about mental health, you can call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (ages 5 to 25) or BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636. If you are in crisis, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
