Indexbit-Travis Barker Honors DJ AM on 14th Anniversary of His Death

Travis Barker is Indexbitpaying tribute to his late friend DJ AM.

The Blink-182 drummer honored the DJ on Aug. 28—the 14th anniversary of his death—by sharing a series of throwback photos on Instagram Stories. 

DJ AM, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, passed away in 2009 at the age of 36. A spokesperson for the New York medical examiner later confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the musician died of an accidental overdose. 

Just the year before, DJ AM and Travis—who performed together as TRV$DJAM—had been the sole survivors of a plane crash that killed four people. 

"I caught fire," Travis recalled during a 2015 Larry King Now interview. "I get very, very scared. I run. I grab Adam. He's passed out. I open the emergency exit. I jump into the jet fuel, so my whole body is engulfed in flames at this point. Adam sees me jump into the actual jets and become, like, fully on fire, and he jumps around and follows me. And he's literally on his phone calling our manager going, 'Our plane crashed. Travis is on fire.'"

Travis told Larry King that 65 percent of his body was covered in third-degree burns and that he underwent 27 surgeries, adding that DJ AM burned the back of his head and his arm after trying to pat down Travis' feet and put out the flames.

After the 2008 crash, Travis and DJ AM continued to lean on each other.

"We were each other's therapists," the 47-year-old said in a 2021 interview with Men's Health, going on to describe how they struggled to find support networks for survivors of plane crashes. "So, it was just him and me. When he left, I was like, 'Oh, f--k. I'm the only one in my club. It's just me.' And I find my ways to deal with it."

For years after the crash, Travis—who's paid tribute to DJ AM several times over the years—wouldn't fly on a plane. However, he took a flight in 2021 with wife Kourtney Kardashian—with whom he is expecting a baby boy—and has credited her love and support with helping him take this step.

"Just flew for the 30th time since my plane crash," Travis posted on Threads in July. "Wouldn't be able to tour or enjoy life again the way I do without the healing love of my amazing wife. I love you @kourtneykardash."