Adam Michael Goldstein (March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009) was an American club DJ and musician better known as DJ AM. Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, and worked on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna, and Will Smith, among others. He was a frequent collaborator with Travis Barker of Blink-182 and appeared on several television series.

On August 28, 2009, Goldstein died of an accidental drug overdose.

Early and personal life

Goldstein was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a Jewish family. As a child, his father verbally abused him, which Goldstein called "unbelievably cruel." His father abused drugs and was secretly a homosexual. His father was sent to jail for committing bank fraud and later died due to complications from AIDS. Adam began taking drugs, so his mother placed him in a treatment center that specialized in “tough love”.

When Goldstein was 20 years old, he started deejaying, which he'd been obsessed with since seeing Herbie Hancock do the song “Rockit” at the Grammy Awards. During his early 20s, Goldstein also battled a drug addiction, specifically to crack cocaine. At one point, he attempted suicide but was unsuccessful when the gun did not go off. Shortly thereafter, he became sober, began attending AA meetings and dedicated himself to working as a DJ. Goldstein also distanced himself from friends who were still using drugs, which aided in his recovery. "By then, I was booking jobs at every major club and had started to gain a following," he told Glamour magazine. He lost more than 60 pounds and began Deejaying for celebrity parties and night clubs. After getting clean, DJ AM was sober for more than 11 years and was held up as a positive example for the recovery process.

He began dating socialite Nicole Richie in 2003 and announced their engagement in February 2005. However, the couple broke up in late 2006. "The one thing that stands out about Adam is that I can be myself," Richie said after the breakup. After his breakup with Richie, Goldstein dated singer-actress Mandy Moore. He was good friends with Steve Aoki, Cory Kennedy, Samantha Ronson, John Mayer, Paris Hilton, Travis Barker and Kevin Scott.

Sneakers

DJ AM was an avid "sneakerhead" (posting on sneaker enthusiast message board Niketalk.com) who collected athletic shoes, primarily Nikes. His collection of over 900 shoes includes a pair of Nike Dunk SB shoes that were created specifically for him, with his DJ AM logo appearing on the shoe itself. In a new commercial, he starred alongside Mike Epps and Kobe Bryant sporting the Nike Air Yeezy, the signature shoe for Kanye West. The late sneaker enthusiast's collections is being auctioned off on eBay and is being promoted on the UNDEFEATED webpage.

Career

Goldstein was a member of the rap/rock group Crazy Town. He has also scratched on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna, Will Smith, and Shifty and played concerts with Jay-Z. He has played private events for celebrities like Jim Carrey, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Stiller, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christina Aguilera, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Kate Hudson. He had a one-year contract with Las Vegas' Pure Nightclub inside Caesar's Palace to play at the venue every Friday and opened a nightclub at Caesars Atlantic City called Dusk.

He had recently collaborated with Travis Barker of Blink-182 and +44 in several performances, including the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that DJ AM would make his first appearance with Travis Barker since the two survived the plane crash. The duo performed at New Year's Nation's Los Angeles 2008 New Year's Eve Party at The Wiltern. Their performance was streamed live on the Internet via New Year's Nation's official site, and was broadcast at other New Year's Nation parties across the U.S. Before the gig Barker told press, "I'm ready to get back onstage with AM and continue to rock the house. I'm very excited to bring in the New Year in my hometown of L.A."

His reality television appearances include Punk'd, where his former fiancée, Nicole Richie, was the subject of a practical joke, and the third season of The Simple Life. Goldstein appears as himself in the "What About Bob?" episode of Entourage's third season; he gets the last pair of an exclusive line of shoes, right before Vince (Adrian Grenier) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) arrive. He had recently finished filming a reality show for MTV, called Gone Too Far, in which he and concerned families staged interventions for drug abusers. Eight episodes of Gone Too Far had been shot before his body was discovered on August 28. The show's original premiere date was October 5, 2009. Before he died, Goldstein reportedly told his addiction-program sponsor that he would return to rehab. MTV has decided to air his show after much controversy. "It is our hope through airing this show that people will get to see the side of Adam that we knew and loved. The decision to air the show has been difficult, but we do this with the profound belief that it will inspire others to seek help," his family said in a statement posted on MTV.com. Trailer was released in early October and the show premiered on October 12, 2009.

Goldstein in June 2009He was also a co-owner of the popular club LAX. In 2009, DJ AM became Rain Nightclub's regular Friday night DJ at the Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. He had a record deal with Interscope, and had partnered with Travis Barker (Blink 182) to perform a live DJing/drumming set. TRVSDJAM performed about once a month at sponsored events, clubs and concerts. Their act involved mixing live drum beats to scratched records, as they performed side by side.

DJ AM had evolved into a prominent brand. He co-owned a management company called Deckstar with Steve Aoki along with their managers and Paul Rosenberg. He was the music director for the website doppelganger.com. T-Mobile/sidekick also created a limited edition sidekick featuring him and the artwork of tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon.

Plane crash

On September 19, 2008, after having performed at a college event with frequent collaborator Travis Barker, Goldstein was seriously injured when a Learjet in which he was traveling crashed on takeoff in West Columbia, South Carolina. The crash killed both crew members and two other passengers, and critically injured Goldstein and Barker. They were both transported to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, and were both listed in critical condition. According to reports, Goldstein suffered burns on his hands and parts of his head. His ex-girlfriend, singer Mandy Moore, with whom he was still close, flew to be by his side at the Georgia hospital where he was staying.[32][33] Goldstein was released from the hospital on September 26, 2008, a spokeswoman told AP.

In December 2008, Goldstein filed a civil lawsuit against the plane's charter company, Learjet and Goodyear tires; the suit claims negligence on the part of the pilots and a manufacturing defect on the part of the plane. Goldstein was asking for damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement and loss of earnings. Goldstein was the last passenger to file a civil suit; the estates of deceased passengers Chris Baker and Charles Still had already filed suits, as had crash survivor Travis Barker.

"I have a great deal of faith that everything happens for a reason. I put myself in God's hands," Goldstein told People magazine in October 2008.

Death

Goldstein was found dead at his New York City apartment at 5:22 p.m. EST on Friday, August 28, 2009, after friends, unable to reach Goldstein for a few days became concerned and called police. Drug paraphernalia, including a crack pipe and a bag of crack cocaine, were found in the apartment, but no signs of foul play. Reports indicate that Goldstein was found with nine OxyContin pills in his body.

Goldstein had been prescribed medication for pain and post traumatic stress after surviving the Learjet crash with friend and fellow musician Travis Barker in September 2008.

After a memorial service, Goldstein was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Culver City, California on September 2, 2009. A day after he was laid to rest, he was remembered by hundreds of invited guests and a handful of fans who attended the memorial at the Hollywood Palladium.

On September 29, 2009, the New York medical examiner determined that Goldstein's death was an accident caused by an "acute intoxication" from a combination of cocaine and prescription drugs. He died from a combination of cocaine, Oxycodone, Vicodin, Ativan, Klonopin, Xanax, Benadryl and Levamisole (a drug used to cut cocaine).