This was supposed to be a joyous time of year for Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein. This Sept. 19 would have marked one year since the beloved Hollywood personality -- a popular fixture on the nightlife scene and the former fiancé of Nicole Richie -- survived a harrowing plane crash that killed four others. Sadly, AM won't be commemorating
the occasion. Police found the 36-year-old dead inside his NYC apartment around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 28.
Even more tragically, AM -- who claimed to have been drug-free for 11 years -- was surrounded by drugs when found dead. A close friend of his, actor Alex Burns, alerted authorities when he grew concerned because AM had missed his flight to Las Vegas, where he was to have performed. Once police managed to break down the door of AM's $2 million condominium in Soho, they reportedly found Adam's body facedown on the bed, a nearly empty bag of crack stuck to his chest and bottles of prescription pills in the kitchen.
"It's such a shock," longtime friend Caitlin Ross told Life & Style in the hours following AM's death. "I thought it was a joke. I still can't believe it."
For more on DJ AM's sad final days, pick up the latest issue of Life & Style, on newsstands now!
Photo Credit: WENN
