Avicii: The Fight for the Truth - the story behind the accusations, the money, and the power

When Tim “Avicii” Bergling took his own life in April 2018, the world stood still. The grief was global, his music echoed everywhere — and almost immediately, a search for someone to blame began. At the center of it all stood Arash “Ash” Pournouri, the man who helped build Avicii from a SoundCloud producer into a global phenomenon.

Now, several years later, Ash wants to tell his side of the story. In Dagens Næringsliv’s extensive investigative feature Avicii: The Fight for the Truth, a far more complex picture emerges – one involving power struggles, vast sums of money, and a battle over who gets to define Avicii’s legacy.

Also read: Avicii – I’m Tim: A moving documentary that resonates – but doesn’t tell the whole story!

From a small apartment to the world’s biggest stages

The story begins in 2008 in a 23-square-meter apartment in Stockholm. There, two unlikely partners met: Tim Bergling, a shy, introverted teenager with an extraordinary musical ear – and Arash Pournouri, an analytical law graduate with a clear vision.

Together, they created Avicii. Not just a stage name, but an entire concept. Written on the wall of that tiny apartment were the words that would become legendary:
“TIM + ASH = AVICII.”

From the very beginning, Ash played a central role in shaping Avicii’s sound, image, strategy, touring structure, and business model. According to the documentation presented, he was not only Avicii’s manager, but also an executive producer, co-writer, and the architect behind the artist’s global breakthrough.

The film that changed everything

When the documentary Avicii: True Stories was re-released worldwide following Tim’s death, it reached a massive audience. The film celebrated Tim – but also portrayed Ash as the person who pushed him too far.

The reaction was immediate and brutal. Hate messages, threats, and death threats flooded in. DN’s investigation documents years of abuse in which Ash was labeled a murderer and held responsible for Tim’s death. That narrative took hold — and persisted.

In connection with the lawsuit he has now filed, Ash writes:

“I was publicly blamed and judged for actions I did not commit. I asked those who were present to speak when I myself could not. They chose to protect themselves — and allowed my family and me to be torn apart in full public view. That was my hell. Now the time has come.”

The struggle for control

A key part of DN’s investigation focuses on how control of the Avicii empire gradually shifted. Documents show how Tim’s father, Klas Bergling, increasingly took control of companies, trademarks, and finances connected to Avicii.

At the same time, the material shows how Ash tried to slow down the touring schedule, introduced alcohol bans, and warned the family about Tim’s deteriorating health. According to the lawsuit, Ash’s influence was steadily reduced — and eventually, his contracts worsened significantly.

The partnership that built Avicii formally ended in 2016 through a confidential legal agreement. Two years later, Tim was dead.

The billions after Avicii

Following Tim’s death, his family inherited the assets. Soon after, the Tim Bergling Foundation was established, focusing on mental health for children and young people — work that today has significant political and cultural influence.

Meanwhile, Avicii’s music catalog became one of the most sought-after assets in the global music industry. In late 2022, a majority of the rights were sold to the investment company Pophouse in a deal that internal documents reportedly valued at over one billion Swedish kronor. Names such as Per Sundin – former Universal Music executive and current CEO of Pophouse — appear repeatedly in both business dealings and foundation structures.

Why Ash is going to court now

After nearly eight years of silence, hate, and threats, Ash has decided to take legal action. He has filed a lawsuit against several companies within the Avicii sphere, as well as against the director of Avicii: True Stories.

According to Ash, the purpose is not financial compensation – but to correct what he believes is a misleading and incomplete public narrative.

Thousands of emails, text messages, contracts, and internal documents have now been submitted. Together, they paint a far more nuanced reality than the simplified story that has dominated public discourse for years.

A story without easy answers

Avicii: The Fight for the Truth offers no simple explanations — and names no single villain. Instead, it reveals how Avicii was the product of a powerful system, where pressure, expectations, business interests, and human vulnerability collided.

What remains is the music. The legacy. And an ongoing battle over who gets to define the truth about Avicii.

The legal process ahead may prove decisive — not only for Arash Pournouri, but for how the story of one of the most influential artists of our time will be told in the years to come.