Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, one of Hollywood’s and the country’s most loved DJs, was found dead in his New York apartment on Friday evening. He was 36 years old and was a much sought after DJ whose skills with a turntable brought him widespread celebrity and a highly glamorous life. An autopsy Saturday was inconclusive, and investigators are banking on toxicology tests to help figure out the cause of death. The death initially thought to be a suicide is said to be accidental.
Almost one year ago, Goldstein and musician Travis Barker survived a fatal plane crash in South Carolina, in which they both received severe burns. Goldstein was also a recovering drug addict, having developed an addiction to crack cocaine in his 20s; though he had been sober for the past nine years.
Goldstein was prescribed anti-anxiety drugs such as Xanax, part of a family of medications called ‘Benzodiazepines’, known as benzos, to deal with his fears about flying again. But for a former addict like Adam, such pills can become an addiction themselves. NYPD insiders said that taking the benzos had tempted the DJ to start using crack cocaine once again, and the combination of both is what’s believed to have killed him. The investigation is still going on.