DJ AM Dies of Drug Overdose. Could Travis Barker Hold the Same Fate?

Today Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM, was found dead in his New York City apartment, surrounded by pill bottles and drug paraphernalia. DJ AM was a fixture in popular nightclubs frequented by A-list celebrities, and performed on albums by Madonna and Will Smith, and toured with Jay-Z.

DJ AM was one of two survivors in a fatal plane crash in September, 2008. He and drummer Travis Barker were seriously injured after a private jet crashed upon takeoff in South Carolina. DJ AM was in the hospital for a week, and Barker was released from a burn center a few days later, although doctors reportedly said his wounds might take up to a year to fully heal.

In DJ AM's spare time he was filming a drug intervention TV show for MTV and loved helping people get off of drugs. AM, himself had been sober for nine years according to TMZ, and in a recent post, TMZ alludes to a recent breakup with girlfriend Hayley Wood, as well as PTSD from the plane crash, as reasons he turned back to drugs in recent days.

It's also notable that DJ AM was in the one hit wonder band Crazy Town, best known for the song "Butterfly" and lead singer Shifty Shellshock, whose own battle with drugs has been well documented on VH1's drug rehab reality shows Celebrity Rehab and Sober House. Unlike Shifty, DJ AM had the wherewithal to get sober, and started using his sobriety to help others in trouble.

Let's face it. DJ AM has been through a lot over recent years. Plane crashes are the topic of nightmares across the world, so imagine the horror of being in a fatal plane crash, and surviving, and mourning the deaths of several of your close friends. Burns are no joke either. I personally can't begin to imagine the pain endured from serious burns. Even though his overdose could have been unintentional, maybe death was the only way for this man to find peace.

Several months ago, I saw footage of Travis Barker and ex-wife Shanna Moakler at a red carpet event. Travis was talking to an interviewer and his speech was seriously slurred and his eyes were always half-closed, a sign of being on too-high doses of narcotic painkillers.

Travis Barker was the drummer for Blink 182. After the band broke up (Blink 182 reunited in 2009) Travis and then wife Shanna Moakler were featured on MTV's 2005 reality show called Meet the Barkers. He also started the popular fashion companies Famous Stars and Straps and DC Shoes, all the while playing drums on albums by Pink, Pharrell, Black Eyed Peas and more. With a busy career and two children to dote on, it would be a shame if Travis follows DJ AM's footsteps.

Hopefully people close to Travis are monitoring his health and emotional well being. He too is undoubtedly suffering from PTSD, and from what I've seen, may be addicted to any prescription pain killers he's been taking to dull the pain of his burn injuries.

I have no space in my heart for celebrities who recklessly succumb to drugs, but in the case of DJ AM, this is truly a tragic story. Hopefully Travis Barker will not suffer this same fate.