August 29, 2009
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Celebrity
disc jockey Adam Goldstein, known as DJ AM, was found dead
Friday evening in his New York City apartment, and media reports
say drug paraphernalia was found nearby.
Goldstein, 36, was a DJ for hire who performed at Hollywood's
most exclusive parties. He became a celebrity in his own right
with a glamorous lifestyle and high-profile romances, including
with Nicole Richie and Mandy Moore.
Paramedics had to break down the door to his Manhattan apartment
before they found his body at about 5:20 p.m., a law enforcement
official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
There was no evidence of foul play, the official said.
Click here for photos of DJ AM.
Goldstein had talked openly about past addictions to crack
cocaine, Ecstasy and other drugs, but he claimed he had been
drug-free for years.
Authorities will need to conduct toxicology tests, expected
to take weeks, to determine what killed him, a medical examiner's
office spokeswoman said Saturday.
An autopsy Saturday was inconclusive, said the spokeswoman,
Ellen Borakove.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that
police found a crack pipe and prescription pills in the apartment
where they discovered DJ AM's body Friday evening. The official
spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because
the investigation was ongoing.
A source close to Richie told FOXNews.com that she is "shocked"
and understandably devastated over ex-fiance Adam's passing.
"When they were together, Adam and Nicole, they were
very cool, very good, happy, and upbeat," the source
said.
"She is incredibly affected by this. They had such a
close relationship for so long," the source said. "Even
though they're not together anymore, they had a close relationship,
and were friends. They were in touch as friends but didn't
really see each other."
Goldstein died nearly a year after surviving a South Carolina
plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured
rock musician Travis Barker.
"This comes as a complete shock. I will miss him forever.
He was a great friend to me," DJ AM's friend, actor Simon
Rex, who was at his welcome home party after the tragic plane
crash, told FOXNews.com.
In September of 2008, Goldstein and Barker were seriously
burned escaping the plane crash. The pair had planned to perform
together for the first time since the crash at an event in
Los Angeles on New Year's Eve.
A friend of DJ AM told FOXNews.com that Goldstien "has
been spiraling out of control since the plane crash. He was
taking so many painkillers for his injuries, he slowly got
hooked on them.
"About 7 years ago he went through major drug addictions,
and he worked so hard, and successfully kicked the habit.
He was terrified to take any of the meds the doctors prescribed
him after the crash, but the pain was so bad," the friend
said. "Adam took them, and the need for the drugs grew,
and now here we are. It's terrible that no one was able to
stop him soon enough, but it just happened so fast."