DJ AM

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DJ AM: A short, easy-to-understand biography

Adam Michael Goldstein, known as DJ AM, was an American DJ born on March 30, 1973, in Philadelphia. He became interested in deejaying after seeing Herbie Hancock perform "Rockit" on TV.

He faced drug problems as a teenager and went to a rehabilitation program called Straight, Incorporated. After leaving rehab, his addiction got worse and he used crack cocaine in his twenties. He attempted suicide in 1997, then got sober and later helped other addicts through Alcoholics Anonymous.

Goldstein started DJing in Los Angeles clubs and joined the rap-rock group Crazy Town in 1999. He left the band in 2001 to work as a solo DJ. His career grew after he began dating actress Nicole Richie in 2003. In 2006 he signed a big contract to perform weekly at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and became famous for high-profile private events.

In 2008 he teamed up with drummer Travis Barker to form the duo TRV$DJAM. On September 19, 2008, they survived a Learjet crash in South Carolina that killed four people. DJ AM suffered serious burns but recovered. He later filed a lawsuit over the crash, which was settled after his death.

DJ AM appeared as himself in Iron Man 2, helped with the DJ Hero video game, and hosted MTV's Gone Too Far, a show about drug intervention. He also enjoyed collecting sneakers and appeared on several TV shows.

Despite promising work, he struggled with addiction and anxiety after the crash. He died on August 28, 2009, in New York City from an accidental overdose of several drugs. He was 36.

Following his death, the DJ AM Memorial Fund was started to help people fighting addiction. A documentary about his life, As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM, was released in 2015, and many artists paid tribute to him.