NEW YORK — DJ AM had prescription pills in his stomach and one in his throat when police found him dead in his apartment, a New York City official said today.
The official told The Associated Press that six pills were found in the celebrity disc jockey’s stomach and that the pill in his throat appeared to be the powerful painkiller OxyContin. The official didn’t know how strong a dose each pill contained.
The official was familiar with the preliminary autopsy report released last week but was not authorized to talk publicly about it and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The 36-year-old, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, was found Friday evening 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. There was no evidence of foul play.
A crack pipe and prescription pill bottles were discovered there. Final autopsy and toxicology reports are pending.
Goldstein had openly discussed past addictions to crack cocaine, Ecstasy and other drugs. 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.
In an interview with the AP last month, he said the show provided a “terrifying” reminder of his own addiction.
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. Over the weekend, Blink-182 pulled out of a show in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., saying band members were grieving over the death of their friend.
Goldstein rose to fame several years ago as a DJ known for his mashups — blends of at least two songs. He performed in clubs, on concert stages and at exclusive Hollywood parties. His personal life also garnered attention, as he dated actress-singer Mandy Moore and reality TV star Nicole Richie.
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