Career
Goldstein's stage name, "DJ AM" stands for his first and middle names, Adam Michael. He was a member of the rap/rock group Crazy Town. He had also scratched on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna, Will Smith and Shifty, and played concerts with Jay-Z. He had played private events for celebrities like Jim Carrey, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Stiller, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christina Aguilera, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Kate Hudson. He had a one-year contract with Las Vegas's Pure Nightclub inside Caesar's Palace to play at the venue every Friday and opened a nightclub at Caesars Atlantic City called Dusk.
He had recently collaborated with Travis Barker of Blink-182 and +44 in several performances, including the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that DJ AM would make his first appearance with Travis Barker since the two survived a plane crash. The duo performed at New Year's Nation's Los Angeles 2008 New Year's Eve Party at The Wiltern. Their performance was streamed live on the Internet via New Year's Nation's official site, and was broadcast at other New Year's Nation parties across the U.S. Before the gig Barker told press, "I'm ready to get back onstage with AM and continue to rock the house. I'm very excited to bring in the New Year in my hometown of L.A."
His reality television appearances include Punk'd, where his former fiancée, Nicole Richie, was the subject of a practical joke, and the third season of The Simple Life. Goldstein appears as himself in the "What About Bob?" episode of Entourage's third season; he gets the last pair of an exclusive line of shoes, right before Vince (Adrian Grenier) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) arrive. He also appeared as a guest DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He had recently finished filming a reality show for MTV, called Gone Too Far, in which he and concerned families staged interventions for drug abusers. Eight episodes of Gone Too Far had been shot before his body was discovered on August 28. The show's original premiere date was October 5, 2009. Before he died, Goldstein reportedly told his addiction-program sponsor that he would return to rehab. MTV decided to air his show after much controversy. "It is our hope through airing this show that people will get to see the side of Adam that we knew and loved. The decision to air the show has been difficult, but we do this with the profound belief that it will inspire others to seek help," his family said in a statement posted on MTV.com. Trailer was released in early October and the show premiered on October 12, 2009.
He also appeared in a documentary, Downtown Calling narrated by Debbie Harry. He was also a co-owner of the popular club LAX. In 2009, DJ AM became Rain Nightclub's regular Friday night DJ at the Rain Nightclub in the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas. He had a record deal with Interscope, and had partnered with Travis Barker (Blink 182) to perform a live DJing/drumming set. TRVSDJAM performed about once a month at sponsored events, clubs and concerts. Their act involved mixing live drum beats to scratched records, as they performed side by side.
DJ AM had evolved into a prominent brand. He co-owned a management company called Deckstar with Steve Aoki along with their managers and Paul Rosenberg. He was the music director for the website doppelganger.com. T-Mobile/sidekick also created a limited edition sidekick featuring him and the artwork of tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon. Soon after his death, he was the subject of a joke in South Park's episode "Dead Celebrities", along with other celebrities that died in the summer of 2009. Earlier in 2009 Goldstein was involved with Activision’s DJ Hero game. Activision’s vice president of music affairs Tim Riley said in a statement: “We hope that his work on the game will be a fitting tribute to his creative spirit and musical talent.” He won "DJ of the Year" award at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards.
Goldstein filmed a cameo for the 2010 film Iron Man 2 two months before his death, appearing as himself DJing Tony Stark's birthday party. The film is dedicated in his memory.
Read more about this topic: Adam Goldstein
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