DJ Am

Born Adam Michael Goldstein in 1973, DJ AM spun records for the rap-rock outfit Crazy Town throughout the closing years of the 1990s. He quickly rose to prominence as one of Los Angeles’s most sought-after turntablists, contributing scratches to releases by Papa Roach, Will Smith, and Madonna and sustaining a string of high-profile romances that included a short-lived engagement to Nicole Richie. In the early 2000s, former blink-182 drummer Travis Barker joined forces with DJ AM on multiple projects, exposing the DJ’s talents to a broader listenership. After a joint performance in September 2008, the pair survived a takeoff crash that claimed every other life on board. The accident prompted the onetime addict to resume substance use while recovering from prescribed painkillers, resulting in a fatal overdose the following year.