Adam Michael Goldstein has died he was 36. DJ ASM was an American club disc jockey better known as DJ AM. Goldstein was a former member of the rock band Crazy Town, and scratched on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna, and Will Smith, among others. He collaborated with Travis Barker of Blink-182 at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, and appeared in several television series.(March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009)
On September 19, 2008, Goldstein was seriously injured when a Learjet he was traveling in crashed on takeoff. Singer Mandy Moore, with whom he was close, flew to be by his side at the Georgia hospital where he was staying.[1] He had been battling post-traumatic stress after the crash, and suffering from 'survivor guilt'.[2]
Goldstein was found dead at his New York City apartment at around 5:20 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2009.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a Jewish family,[3][4][5] His father verbally abused him, as Goldstein said, it was "unbelievably cruel." Later he found out his father was secretly gay and addicted to drugs.[6] Eventually his father was sent to jail for committing bank fraud and died of AIDS.[7] He began taking drugs, so his mother placed him in a treatment center that specialized in “tough love.” Unbeknownst to his mother, the place was an abusive house of horrors that would eventually be shut down. "The counselors beat us. They spit in our faces. They starved us. They never let us see or talk to our parents," Goldstein later pictured the situation.[8]
When Goldstein was 20 years old, he started deejaying, which he'd been obsessed with ever since he saw Herbie Hancock do the song “Rockit” at the Grammy Awards. He started going to AA meetings again and distanced himself from friends who were still using drugs. "By then, I was booking jobs at every major club and had started to gain a following," he told Glamour magazine. [9]
Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, known for their hit "Butterfly". 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, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Kate Hudson.[10] He had had a one-year contract with Las Vegas' Pure Nightclub inside Caesar's Palace to play at the venue every Friday and opening a nightclub at Caesars Atlantic City called Dusk.[11]
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.[12][13] 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."[14]
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.[15]
He was also a co-owner of the popular club LAX. In 2009, DJ AM became Rain Nightclub's regular Friday night DJ.[16]
On September 19, 2008, after having performed at a college event with frequent collaborator Travis Barker, Goldstein was seriously injured when a Learjet he was traveling in crashed on takeoff in West Columbia, South Carolina. The crash killed both crew members and two other passengers, and critically injured Goldstein and Barker.[17] They were both transported to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, and were both listed in critical condition.[18] According to reports, Goldstein suffered burns on his hands and part 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.[19][20] Goldstein was released from the hospital on September 26, 2008, a spokeswoman told AP.[21]
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.[22] Goldstein was the last passenger to file a civil suit; the estates of deceased passengers Chris Baker and Charles Still have already filed suits, as has crash survivor Travis Barker, although Barker and Still's suits did not name the deceased pilots as defendants.[23]
"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.[24]
Goldstein was addicted to crack cocaine and "at 24 I felt like my life was over," he told Glamour magazine in January 2008. At the time he hadn't taken drugs or had a drink for nine and a half years. "At any given moment, I'm five seconds away from walking up to someone, grabbing their drink out of their hand and downing it. And if I do that, within a week, tops, I’ll be smoking crack," he added.[25]
He began dating actress Nicole Richie in 2004 and announced their engagement a year later in February 2005.[26] However, the couple broke up in late 2006.[27] "The one thing that stands out about Adam is that I can be myself," Richie said after the breakup.[28] After his breakup with Richie, Goldstein dated singer-actress Mandy Moore.[29][30] He was good friends with Steve Aoki, Cory Kennedy, Samantha Ronson, John Mayer, Paris Hilton, Travis Barker and DJ Eric Cubeechee.[31]
DJ AM was an avid "sneakerhead" (posting on sneaker enthusiast message board Niketalk.com), he collected athletic shoes, primarily Nikes. His collection of over 600 shoes includes a pair of Nike Air Force 1 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.[32]
Adam Goldstein was found dead at his New York City apartment at 210 Lafayette Street at around 5:20 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2009. He was 36 years old. Friends called the police, who along with paramedics broke into the apartment and found Goldstein's body. Sources say the cause of death may have been accidental drug overdose.[33][34] Statements by a New York law enforcement official to the Associated Press indicate that drug paraphernalia was found in the apartment, but no signs of foul play.[35] A rep for Goldstein released a statement: "Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein was found deceased this afternoon in his New York City apartment. The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. Out of respect for his family and loved ones, please respect their privacy at this time."
A week before his death, Goldstein and longtime girlfriend Hayley Wood had broken up. On August 21, Life & Style magazine reported that Goldstein's friends took him out for dinner earlier that week in Los Angeles "because he was depressed." His friends told TMZ.com that he continued to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[36] "He struggled with pain after the crash," a close friend of Goldstein told E! News Friday. "But it seemed like he was functioning fine and never missed work."[37]
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