DJ AM's death ruled accidental drug overdose
09/29/09
NEW YORK – DJ AM died accidentally from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and cocaine, the medical examiner's office ruled Tuesday.
The toxicology report showed the 36-year-old had in his system cocaine, OxyContin, Hydrocodone or Vicodin, antianxiety drugs Xanax and Ativan, Klonopin which also controls anger, Benadryl, and Levamisole, a drug apparently used to cut cocaine.
The cause of death was acute intoxication due to the combined effects the drugs, the medical examiner's office said. The dosage of each drug was not released.
The celebrity, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, had openly discussed past addictions to crack cocaine, Ecstasy and other drugs.
He was found Aug. 28 in his apartment in New York City's trendy SoHo neighborhood after a friend called 911. Paramedics had to break down the door before they found him, shirtless and wearing sweat pants, in his bed around 5:20 p.m.
Six pills were found in his stomach and a pill in his throat when he was found dead in his apartment. The pill in his throat appeared to be OxyContin. A crack pipe and prescription pill bottles were discovered there.
In October, MTV was to debut his reality show, "Gone Too Far," in which he and concerned families staged interventions for drug abusers. MTV hasn't said whether Goldstein's show will air.
Goldstein was critically hurt in a plane crash last September in Columbia, S.C., that killed four people. He was flying in a Learjet after a performance with Travis Barker, a drummer for the pop-punk band Blink-182 and Goldstein's partner in the duo TRVSDJ-AM.
Barker and Goldstein were burned. Goldstein had to get skin graft surgery but resumed performing about a month later.
Goldstein was known for his mashups — blends of at least two songs. He performed in clubs, on concert stages and at exclusive Hollywood parties. He was famous in part for his personal life — he dated actress-singer Mandy Moore and reality TV star Nicole Richie.
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DJ AM found dead in New York apartment
August 28, 2009
NEW YORK -- DJ AM, the stage name of disc jockey Adam Goldstein whose music could be heard on albums by Madonna and Will Smith, was found dead in his New York apartment at age 36 Friday, according to media reports.
John Sweeney, a spokesman for the New York police, told Reuters officers found a man dead at 5:23 p.m. Friday but he could not immediately confirm the man was Goldstein.
The address where Sweeney said the man was found matches that of Goldstein’s apartment.
Celebrity news website TMZ.com said Goldstein, who socialized with Hollywood celebrities and in 2008 survived a plane crash with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, was found with prescription pill bottles near his body after he had not been heard from for days.
A half of bag of cocaine was also found near his body.
As a DJ, Goldstein’s work appeared on albums by Madonna, Will Smith, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Papa Roach. He performed at clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
With the band Crazy Town, Goldstein had the 2001 hit song ”Butterfly” but the group broke up two years later.
He partnered with Barker of punk band Blink 182 last year to create a live DJ and drum performance and the duo played occasionally at clubs and other concert venues.
In September 2008, Goldstein and Barker were in a private plane that crashed while trying to take off from an airport in South Carolina. The two pilots and two passengers were killed.
Goldstein and Barker suffered serious burns and were hospitalized in critical condition.
Goldstein posted his last known public remarks on the social networking website Twitter Tuesday when he wrote: ”New york, new york. Big city of dreams, but everything in new york aint always what it seems.”
The words were lyrics from a song by Grandmaster Flash, a pioneer of hip-hop music
Goldstein dated reality TV star Nicole Richie, to whom he was at one point engaged, and later went out with singer and actress Mandy Moore.
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Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein - Recovering
addict offers young addicts a chance at treatment
One-Hour Series Hosted and Developed by Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein Premieres Monday, October 5,
2009 at 10pm ET/PT for Eight Episode Season
MTV Documents the Struggle of Substance Abuse in 'Gone Too Far'
PASADENA, Calif., July 29, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- In the grip of addiction, where do you draw the line between a person who can be rehabilitated and one who is beyond help? "Gone Too Far" - an MTV one-hour series developed and hosted by Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, produced by Ish Entertainment and Gigantic! Productions - explores this question. Premiering Monday, October 5 at 10pm ET/PT, the eight-episode series will document young adults between the ages of 18-25 as they struggle with substance abuse and the devastating addictions that threaten to destroy them and the people who love them most.
One of the most sought-after DJs in the world, DJ AM is uniquely qualified to help young addicts as he too has suffered from multiple addictions, weight problems and depression. DJ AM is mostly known for spinning at Hollywood events and clubs around the world, as well as for his miraculous survival after a deadly plane crash in 2008. However, he is also a long-time recovering drug addict who privately battled an addiction to crack cocaine for six years. DJ AM now seeks to help other young addicts get off their deadly paths and onto the road to recovery.
The intense and eye-opening series features real addicts in crisis whose families are desperate to get them the help they need. Each episode will feature DJ AM meeting with the addicts, friends and families to explore their willingness to change. Through interviews and self-shot video from the addicts and families, the severity of the addiction and its crushing impact is exposed. In unexpected twists, DJ AM often uncovers and reveals new information that even those closest to the addicts are unaware.
Finally, in an intervention led by a certified addiction specialist, DJ AM brings everyone together to offer the addict the once-in-a-lifetime chance for a drug-free life. If they decide to accept his help, they are immediately escorted to some of the best rehab facilities in the country. Along the road to recovery, DJ AM makes time to see how their rehabilitation is progressing, providing a raw and honest look at their new sobriety. No addict's story is the same and every path to becoming sober is different. Only time will tell if they ever come back from having gone too far.
"Substance abuse is an issue that our audience consistently struggles with and through his own battle with addiction, DJ AM knows first-hand the innate chaos drug dependency can inflict on addicts and their loved ones," said Tony DiSanto, President of Programming for MTV. "He's an inspiration and amazing proof that it's never too late to reverse the devastation. That type of positivity is something inherent to our viewers today and we're not just documenting the journey to recovery, but also trying to change the lives of those we follow."
"I struggled for years as a drug addict and was fortunate to get help when I asked for it. I have managed to live a clean and sober life, something that takes work and something that I pride myself on. 'Gone Too Far' is my platform to help people, like I was helped - by giving back in a way," said Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein. "The MTV audience was the perfect place for me to do this, as they are in the homes of so many who struggle and who may not know how to find the help they need. As much as I pray that each of the people that I've helped in each episode stay sober and get clean, I wanted the MTV audience to know that addiction is not something to take lightly. We wanted to show how real it gets and what can happen if you don't get help."
Viewers seeking additional information and resources on substance abuse and addiction issues can log on to
SubstanceAbuse.MTV.com.
Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein is one of the world's biggest DJs. His name is synonymous with what's happening in both music and pop culture in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas & Miami as today's most in demand DJ as well as a fixture in the night life scene. In April 2009, DJ AM took up residency at RAIN in Las Vegas on Friday nights. His schedule has him traveling the world over to play special engagements in clubs, private parties and corporate events. Most recently, DJ AM has partnered with Travis Barker (Blink 182) to perform a live DJing/drumming set, something that has never been done before. For years, he has been in demand by everyone in the music business and his work has appeared on albums for Madonna and Will Smith, just to name a few. Additionally, the film industry seeks him out as well and DJ AM's will star as himself in "Iron Man 2." Please visit www.djam.com for more info.
"Gone Too Far" is executive produced by Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper for Ish Entertainment ("T.I.'s Road To Redemption"), Cheryl Horner Sirulnick for Gigantic! Productions ("True Life: I'm Addicted to Crystal Meth" and "True Life: I'm Going to Rehab") and Paul Rosenberg. Lawrence Vavra serves as Co-Executive Producer. Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Brent Haynes and Amy Emmerich are the executives overseeing the series for MTV.
About Ish Entertainment
Ish Entertainment was launched in April 2008 by former VH1 execs Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper. Ish, which has a first-look deal with MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo, operates as a joint venture with Lionsgate, which handles Ish's international distribution. The projects to come out of that deal so far are "Paris Hilton's My New BFF," which is now in its second season and has spawned two international spinoffs ("Paris Hilton's My British Best Friend" for ITV2 and "Paris Hilton's My New BFF Dubai"), "50 Cent: The Money And The Power," "T.I.'s Road To Redemption" all for MTV; and a Christmas special starring Larry the Cable Guy for
CMT.
Also in production is a series for MTV starring DJ AM titled "Gone Too Far," premiering Monday, October 5th at 10pm and a series for VH1 titled "My Antonio" starring Antonio Sabato Jr., premiering August 16 at 10pm Ish Entertainment marries formats and talent focusing primarily but not exclusively on non-scripted programming, continuing a strategy that has helped VH1 launch an unprecedented string of hit shows with top talent. Ish Entertainment is based in Los Angeles and New York.
About MTV
MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 27 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for P12-24. Online, MTV.com grew a healthy +9% from 1Q09, averaging 23.6M unique visitors for the second quarter of 2009. The site continues to grow video content streams, up significantly from 1Q09 by +15%, generating a whopping 262.2M streams in Q209, a +7% increase from the same time period last year. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA) (NYSE: VIA.B) , one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in. . .
www.mtvpress.com.
About Gigantic! Productions
Gigantic! Productions was founded in 2001 by Cheryl Horner Sirulnick and is based out of TriBeCa, New York City. Since it's inception, Gigantic! has produced several award-winning documentaries and unscripted series documenting the full spectrum of addiction, compulsion and substance abuse. Gigantic!'s honest and uncompromising storytelling have garnered the production house numerous awards including a 2007 Prism Award for MTV's "True Life: I'm Addicted to Crystal Meth" and a 2008 Prism Award for the special "I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom" which focused on the true life story of hit R&B singer Mario and his mother's battle with heroin addiction. The company is currently nominated for a 2009 Daytime Emmy Award for their work on MTV's "True Life" series. Gigantic! established a successful development with MTV, which has produced a range of successful unscripted programming for the network including "Fat Camp," "Return to Fat Camp" and for the "True Life Series," the episodes "I'm A Compulsive Shopper," "I'm Deaf," "I'm Changing My Gender" and "I'm A Gambler" among others.
SOURCE MTV
Website: http://www.mtv.com
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