Celebrity DJ Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, died Friday, Aug. 28, in his Manhattan apartment. He was 36. A memorial service was held in his honor at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles on Sept. 2.
Drug paraphernalia was found in his apartment, and he had ingested eight OxyContin pills, according to reports.
The evening of his death, Goldstein was to perform at Rain Nightclub in Las Vegas’ Palms Casino Resort, where he served as resident DJ and hosted the weekly event “AM Fridays” in which he spun hip-hop mash-ups and featured his DJ friends.
That night, the Palms and Rain Nightclub held a tribute for DJ AM. Patrons left flowers and personal tokens at an entrance table, while staff members wore DJ AM T-shirts and Greg Lopez and DJ R.O.B. (Robert Hathcock) took the stage, according to a statement from the venue. DJ R.O.B. usually opened for DJ AM, and at midnight, he asked for a minute of silence in remembrance of Goldstein.
A photo montage of DJ AM appeared on video screens throughout the club, set to Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You.” That night, the exterior signage at the Palms was darkened so only the letters A and M were lit.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of DJ AM’s passing. He was not only our resident DJ at Rain Nightclub inside the Palms Casino Resort, he was also our brother in music. His impact was felt immediately and will have a lasting effect on all who had the chance to experience ‘AM Fridays,’” said Michael Morton, managing member and cofounder of N9NE Group. “He is a gifted and talented artist who changed the international music scene and helped make Las Vegas one of the DJ capitals of the world. He will be dearly missed.”
In the August issue of Nightclub & Bar, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s Tony Wang cited Goldstein as “the first real true celebrity DJ,” and said that while other “celebrity DJs” were known for their name rather than their skills, Goldstein was a rare, impressive talent. “DJs like Vice and AM are ones that can pull off name recognition and talent. They are here, and they should be.”