DJ AM facts for kids

Quick facts for kids DJ AM
Goldstein in December 2008
Background information
Birth name	Adam Michael Goldstein
Also known as	DJ AM
Born	(1973-03-30)March 30, 1973 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	August 28, 2009(2009-08-28) (aged 36) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	DJ remixer
Instruments	Turntables
Years active	1993–2009

Adam Michael Goldstein (March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009), known professionally as DJ AM, was an American DJ. Born in Philadelphia, Goldstein became interested in deejaying as a child after watching Herbie Hancock perform his 1983 single "Rockit".

Goldstein began deejaying in clubs in Los Angeles and joined the band Crazy Town in 1999. He left the group in 2001 and focused on a career as a solo DJ. After he began dating Nicole Richie in 2003, his career skyrocketed. In 2006, he accepted a $1 million contract to perform weekly at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas strip and was also charging upwards of $10,000 for private events. In 2008, Goldstein and Travis Barker formed the duo TRV$DJAM. Barker and Goldstein were the only two survivors of the 2008 South Carolina Learjet 60 crash, which killed the other four people on board.

Goldstein appeared as himself in several television series, contributed mixes to and portrayed a playable character in the video game DJ Hero, and filmed a cameo appearance for Iron Man 2. On August 28, 2009, he was found dead in his New York City apartment Iron Man 2, which was released in 2010, was dedicated to him.

Early life

Adam Michael Goldstein was born on March 30, 1973, in Philadelphia. His parents, Andrea and Herbert – both of whom were Jewish – had been unable to conceive children naturally, and they had adopted Goldstein's older sister Lara a year before his birth. Goldstein's mother left her husband temporarily. She found out she was pregnant with Adam after returning to her husband, though he was not his biological father.

After watching Herbie Hancock perform "Rockit" with Grand Mixer DXT at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in 1984, Goldstein became obsessed with deejaying, and realized that it was what he wanted to do for a career. He attended the Quaker school Friends' Central. When he was 14, Herbert was incarcerated for committing bank fraud, and his mother subsequently moved to Los Angeles with Goldstein and his sister.

Career

Goldstein in February 2007

Goldstein's stage name, "DJ AM", stands for his first and middle names, Adam Michael. After playing for his friends and at private parties for some time, Goldstein got his first paying job as a DJ at an unlicensed club in Los Angeles at the age of 21, where he earned $40 and a six-pack of beer for a night's work. He worked there for two years. A visiting promoter, impressed with Goldstein's performance, offered him a deejaying job at the Hollywood club The Dragonfly.

Goldstein met Shifty Shellshock through the nightclub scene, and he was asked to join the rap/rock group Crazy Town in 1999. He contributed to their 2000 hit "Butterfly", which reached number one in several countries. According to bandmates Shellshock and Epic Mazur, Goldstein was the group's only sober member. He quit in 2001.

Goldstein's weight problems became progressively worse, despite years of dieting; in 2003, he weighed 324 lb (147 kg) and underwent gastric bypass surgery. The surgery was effective, and he lost more than 100 lb (45 kg) within a year. After he began dating actress Nicole Richie in 2003, Goldstein's DJ career skyrocketed. Us Weekly editor Janice Min said that he was talented, but that the thing that set him apart from other deejays was that he dated Richie.

As a result of the relationship, Goldstein appeared in a 2005 episode of Punk'd, where Richie was the subject of a practical joke, and that same year he featured in an episode of The Simple Life, a reality TV show focusing on Richie and Paris Hilton. Goldstein and Richie announced their engagement in February 2005, but broke up in late 2006. Goldstein was a guest DJ on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2006.

He was an avid sneakerhead, owning more than 1,000 pairs of sneakers by 2007. This led to him being offered a cameo as himself purchasing a pair in the 2006 TV series Entourage episode "What About Bob?". That same year, Goldstein also began working at Caesars Palace, becoming the resident DJ of their nightclub Pure. He was contracted to the club for the year for $1 million, which was considered to be an unprecedented amount for a DJ at the time. By 2007, he was also being paid between $10,000 and $25,000 per event as a solo DJ.

Goldstein scratched on albums for Papa Roach, Will Smith, and Babyface. He played at private events for celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Ben Stiller, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Goldstein dated singer Mandy Moore for two months in 2007 and remained close friends with her after separating. Later in 2007, he was romantically involved with model Jessica Stam. Goldstein was also close friends with fellow DJ and producer Steve Aoki, who went on to praise him in his 2016 documentary I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.

Learjet 60 crash

In June 2008, Goldstein and Travis Barker began collaborating under the name TRV$DJAM. They performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, 2008. On September 19, after performing at a college event, he and Barker were aboard a Learjet 60 when it crashed upon takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. The crash killed both crew members and the other two passengers, a security guard and Barker's assistant, critically injuring Goldstein and Barker. Goldstein suffered third-degree burns to his arm and parts of his head.

Both he and Barker were transported to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia. Moore flew to be by Goldstein's side, and the media reported that they were dating again. He was released on September 26, 2008, and was expected to make a full recovery. In December 2008, Goldstein filed a civil lawsuit against the plane's charter company, Learjet and Goodyear tires; the suit claimed negligence on the part of the pilots, and a manufacturing defect on part of the plane. He asked for damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement and loss of earnings. The lawsuit was settled by his estate in 2010, a year after his death.

Final year

In December 2008, MTV reported that DJ AM would be making his first appearance with 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. That same month it was reported that Goldstein had split from Moore and was dating model Hayley Wood. In April 2009, Goldstein left his position at Caesars Palace to become Rain Nightclub's regular Friday night DJ in the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas.

Goldstein filmed a cameo for the movie Iron Man 2 in June 2009, appearing as himself deejaying at the birthday party of Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.). Jon Favreau, the film's director, said that he was a fan of Goldstein; the cameo was supposed to be filmed in one day but the crew and Downey Jr. took a liking to Goldstein and his stay on set extended to approximately one week. He set up turntables and gave Favreau tips on how to DJ in between takes. Goldstein was involved with Activision's DJ Hero video game, contributing original mixes to and also appearing as a playable character. Goldstein and Barker performed at an Electronic Entertainment Expo event promoting the game in 2009.

Goldstein in June 2009

Goldstein was the host of Gone Too Far, a reality show for MTV. He had approached MTV in mid-2008, pitching the idea of a reality show that focused on his life to Tony DiSanto. The show was still in pre-production when Goldstein was injured in the plane crash. Following the crash, the show's producer Cheryl Sirulnick said she assumed the show would not go ahead, but Goldstein insisted on continuing. Eight episodes were filmed; three days before his death, Goldstein tweeted that filming had been completed.

Death

Goldstein was found dead in his New York City apartment on August 28, 2009.

After a memorial service, Goldstein was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery near Los Angeles, on September 2, 2009. The following day, a memorial was held at the Hollywood Palladium. Among the hundreds of attendees were Nicole Richie, Travis Barker, Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Scott Caan, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Wood made an emotional speech at the service, describing Goldstein as her soulmate.

The scheduled debut air date for Gone Too Far had been October 5, 2009. After debating whether to air the show in the wake of his death, MTV decided to debut it on October 12. His family stated: "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". Favreau also consulted people close to Goldstein about whether the footage of him in Iron Man 2 should still be used; they agreed unanimously it should remain. Favreau said that following his death, "there was never any doubt" the film would be dedicated to him.

Legacy

The DJ AM Memorial Fund was launched in his memory. In November 2009, 800 pairs of Goldstein's sneakers were listed on eBay to raise funds for the organization. In August 2010, the fund made a donation to the Los Angeles' Phoenix House Academy to help rehab patients develop musical talents. Goldstein's sister Lara, who founded the fund, died from cancer in May 2011.

In August 2011, several DJs paid tribute to Goldstein at the Vanity Nightclub in the Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino, helping raise money for the fund. In May 2012, the eighth annual MusiCares benefit concert featured a special presentation commemorating the launch of the DJ AM Memorial Fund. Moby deejayed at the event in tribute to Goldstein.

Goldstein posthumously won DJ of the Year at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards. In October 2009 he was depicted in the South Park episode "Dead Celebrities", along with other celebrities who died in mid-2009. Eminem paid tribute to Goldstein on the 2010 song "Talkin' 2 Myself". On the cover of Blink-182's 2011 album, Neighborhoods, "DJ AM" can be seen written on one of the buildings, as a memorial. Goldstein's death is also believed to have influenced the band's decision to retire their single, "Adam's Song", from their live performances until 2018. Wolfgang Gartner and will.i.am pay tribute to DJ AM in their 2011 single "Forever," which includes a moment of silence for him.

Footage of Goldstein and several other celebrities are featured in the documentary films Downtown Calling (2009), and Electric Daisy Carnival Experience (2011). A documentary film about Goldstein titled As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM, was announced at the EDMbiz Conference on June 20, 2013. The film was directed by Kevin Kerslake and released in April 2015. Dennis Harvey of Variety called it an entertaining documentary, but thought, "there are some notable gaps left in the pic's posthumous understanding of DJ AM ... as its flashy surface doesn't always help us to understand the pure artistic soul he's depicted as here."

Discography

Filmography