On October 1, 2024, the family of Swedish DJ Avicii did just that. The family donated 267 items to a charity auction, according to a press release from Stockholms Auktionsverk. The total hammer price passed 7.7 million Swedish kronor, and the items were sold for the benefit of the Tim Bergling Foundation, which promotes young people’s mental health.
Most of us probably have that one piece of clothing we can never throw away, like an old hoodie or a worn pair of sneakers. Letting go of a loved one’s belongings can feel even harder.
A contact sheet of original portraits by photographer Mark Seliger sold for 165,000 kronor. The family founded the Tim Bergling Foundation in 2019. Tim Bergling died on April 20, 2018, at age 28. The World Health Organization’s fact sheet on adolescent mental health reports that about one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds worldwide has a mental health condition.
He won a leather jacket from Bottega Veneta. One buyer, music producer Michael Cohen, also known as Tim Loren, traveled from Paris to attend the auction in person. The foundation’s stated early focus was mental health and suicide prevention. The need is large. The agency also points out that these conditions remain largely undiagnosed and untreated. The figures do not measure the foundation’s performance, but they do show a clear audience for youth-oriented work. The items were sold without a reserve price or buyer’s commission, and the proceeds are donated in full to the foundation. A family’s keepsakes ended up supporting the age group these numbers describe.
Cohen said Avicii inspired him to become an artist and producer, and he planned to have the jacket framed. After the sale, Stefan Rudels, the foundation’s acting director, said the foundation was very happy with the outcome. He added that “the funds these items have generated will help” them continue their work for young people’s mental health and well-being. Cecilia Gave, CEO of Stockholms Auktionsverk, said the collection also appealed to a younger crowd, and many in the hall were placing their very first auction bids.
