Avicii’s Former Manager Sues Estate Over Netflix Documentary and Biographies
Avicii’s former manager, Ash Pournouri, has filed a lawsuit in Sweden against the estate of the late DJ, alleging that a Netflix documentary and two subsequent books defamed him by presenting a distorted and damaging portrayal of his role in the artist’s career.
The lawsuit, filed in Stockholm District Court, centers on the 2016 Netflix documentary Avicii: True Stories, as well as the 2021 biography Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii and the 2024 release Avicii: The Life and Music of Tim Bergling. According to the complaint, these works violate a confidentiality agreement reached when Pournouri and Avicii ended their professional relationship in 2016.
Pournouri claims that the documentary and books construct what he describes as a “completely inaccurate” narrative, one that portrays him as a manager who knowingly pushed Bergling beyond his physical and mental limits for personal gain. The lawsuit alleges that this portrayal amounts to “character assassination” and has caused lasting reputational damage: “This has mainly been done by misrepresenting Ash Pournouri as a person who ruthlessly pushed Tim Bergling to the limit and exploited his career for personal gain,” the filing states, according to a translation obtained by Billboard. “The image portrayed is completely inaccurate.”
Avicii retired from touring in 2016 after years of widely documented health struggles, including anxiety and substance abuse issues. He died by suicide in 2018 at the age of 28. Avicii: True Stories, released two years prior, followed Bergling during the final stages of his touring career and has since been widely viewed as a key document in shaping public understanding of his decline.
In the lawsuit, Pournouri takes particular issue with scenes and implications suggesting that he encouraged Avicii to continue touring despite clear warning signs. One frequently cited moment in the film shows Pournouri saying, “Tim is going to die,” a statement that has been interpreted by audiences as an expression of alarm over Bergling’s health.
Pournouri does not dispute using those words, but argues they were misunderstood in translation. According to the lawsuit, the phrase, when spoken in Swedish, is colloquial and often used to convey excitement or overwhelm rather than a literal warning of fatal consequences. He contends that the English-language framing stripped the remark of its cultural context, contributing to a misleading portrayal.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Pournouri said he pursued legal action only after exhausting other avenues. “This is the final resort,” he wrote. “Court creates disclosure, sworn testimony, and an official record. It prevents PR spin, prohibits editing for story or profit, forces documents into daylight, and results in outcomes grounded in factual reality, not narratives.”
Avicii: True Stories was released while Bergling was still alive and was created with his participation, a fact that has complicated public debate around its framing. The later books, however, were published posthumously and draw extensively on interviews, archival material, and retrospective analysis of Bergling’s career and mental health struggles.
The Avicii estate has not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of publication. Netflix has yet to comment on the claims. The case is expected to proceed through Sweden’s civil court system in the coming months.
