  We investigate phonon lifetimes in VO2 single crystals. We do so in the
metallic state above the metal-insulator transition (MIT), where strong
structural fluctuations are known to take place. By combining inelastic X-ray
scattering and Raman spectroscopy, we track the temperature dependence of
several acoustic and optical phonon modes up to 1000 K. Contrary to what is
commonly observed, we find that phonon lifetimes decrease with decreasing
temperature. Our results show that pre-transitional fluctuations in the
metallic state give rise to strong electron-phonon scattering that onsets
hundreds of degrees above the transition and increases as the MIT is
approached. Notably, this effect is not limited to specific points of
reciprocal space that could be associated with the structural transition.
