Celebrity disc jockey Adam Goldstein, who performed in U.S. clubs under the stage name DJ AM, died of an apparent overdose on the evening of August 28. He was 36 years old.
Police found the performer’s body in his New York apartment the evening of August 28 after friends tried unsuccessfully to contact him. DJ AM had missed his flight out of New York City earlier that day for his weekly Friday night set at the Palms in Las Vegas, NV.
“The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear,” Goldstein’s publicist said in an initial statement. “Out of respect for his family and loved ones, please respect their privacy at this time.”
A New York law enforcement official told the Associated Press that drug paraphernalia was found inside the celebrity’s apartment. However, further toxicology tests are required to determine an exact cause of death after an initial autopsy completed on Saturday was inconclusive, according to a statement from the New York medical examiner’s office.
Goldstein had struggled with addictions to drugs and food early in his life, but had been sober for about 11 years, according to published reports. He recently completed filming for the MTV reality series “Gone Too Far,” in which he staged interventions for drug abusers. It is unclear whether the program will air.
“It was a one-time relapse that was a mistake,” a close friend reportedly told Pop Tarts, the entertainment news division of FoxNews.com. “I hate that people are going to remember him for this and for not only revolutionizing DJing and his amazing spirit… He was such a special person.”
Goldstein’s death came as a shock to his friends and peers within the entertainment industry, who mourned his loss over the weekend. Pop-punk band Blink-182 dedicated its weekend concerts to the memory of Goldstein, who had been a close friend and collaborator of drummer Travis Barker.
In late September 2008, Goldstein and Barker were the sole survivors of a Learjet crash that killed four others. Both men suffered second- and third-degree burns in the crash, but recovered in time for a grand return performance that was broadcast in clubs across the country on New Year’s Eve.
“Don’t know how I am gonna play 2night but I am for AM. My brother is gone,” Barker wrote on his official Twitter page on August 29. “I love u and miss u, I’ll never forget all the good times we had.”
Barker continued, “I’ll never forget everything we’ve been thru and every time I play the drums I’ll think of you. U were an amazing friend/DJ/human being. Rest In Peace my brother, this really f*cks me up.”