One of Avicii's most famous songs was a 'cry for help' as friend wishes he 'understood lyrics sooner'

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing

One of Avicii's friends in the music industry wishes he understood the meaning of one of his most famous songs as he now realises that it was a devastating cry for help.

The Swedish artist sadly took his own life in April 2018 in Muscat, Oman, as he was understood to be struggling with the pressures and lifestyle that came with being a worldwide DJ star that was regularly touring.

The 28-year-old was said to be like a 'zombie' in his final days, as the introverted artist continued to struggle with fame and his own mental health, as the harrowing last words in his diary spoke levels of the pain he was going through.

He wrote a message hinting at rebirth, saying: "The shedding of the soul is the last attachment, before it restarts!"

A new documentary about the DJ's life premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday (9 June), featuring exclusive interviews with his family, loved ones, friends in the music industry and even from the artist himself.

Some of his words are also used in a powerful narration during the film, which hasn't had an announcement on a wider release as of yet.

One of his friends and collaborators, Aloe Blacc, recently spoke out about his late friend and peer, saying that he wished he had acted sooner after seeing some warning signs.

Avicii took his own life in 2018 at the age of 28. (Rich Polk/Getty Images for Rolling Stone)

The pair are best known for their song, 2013 hit 'Wake Me Up', which has over two billion streams on streaming platform Spotify.

Blacc opened up on his heartbreak when he read the lyrics to another one of their big hits together, called 'SOS'.

Following Avicii's passing, the Swede's record label executives asked Blacc to sing on the track, which would be released in a posthumous album for the artist, called 'TIM'.

When performing the vocals for the song, he explained that he properly read and understood the words, calling it a 'cry for help'.

“I got the lyrics from the record label and I looked at them and I thought, ‘How am I getting this S.O.S. as a song after Tim’s gone,'” he told Good Morning America in 2019.

The 45-year-old continued: “It felt like… all of us really wanted to have this message way before, so that we could have been there to support him.

“He had written in his notes that he wanted me to sing this song, but he never communicated that to me. He communicated other things via emails and text messages,” Blacc revealed.

The artist was highly successful in his career, but he was also incredibly troubled away from it. (Lester Cohen/WireImage/Getty)

The soul-singer further said that he was 'flattered' that Avicii requested that he features on the track, which was sent to his producers with some new music before his death.

Blacc explained: “I was super impressed with the way that he could create melodies on the drop of a dime and come up with great productions and sonic landscapes and he was impressed with my voice,

“I think he just knew with this song I could attack it and accomplish what he was looking for. I’m glad that I got a chance to do that,” he concluded.

Some of the lines from the song read: "Can you hear me? SOS, help me put my mind to rest.

"Two times clean again, I'm actin' low, a pound of weed and a bag of blow..."

"I get robbed of all my sleep, as my thoughts begin to bleed."

Blacc thought that if anyone had paid any attention to the lyrics, the DJ could have got the help he needed prior to taking his own life.