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Photo by Alan Barry
Before his unexpected death last Friday, Adam Goldstein, a.k.a. DJ AM, had become a legend in his own right. Ask anyone who frequents the club scene.
Despite the heights his career reached before his death – collaborating with Papa Roach, Madonna and Will Smith, and performing with Jay-Z and Blink 182 – life wasn’t easy for Goldstein, yet he built something great out of virtually nothing at all.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Goldstein’s life was plagued with problems: a verbally abusive and drug-addicted father, his own addiction to crack cocaine, and a failed suicide attempt. Life looked pretty grim for Goldstein until a performance by Herbie Hancock inspired him to begin deejaying.
You could say that he was one of the lucky ones. He had the opportunity to turn his life around, when so many others had lost their lives, or continued with their cocaine addiction. Looking into drug tests provided by places similar to Countrywide Testing, or finding a passion as Goldstein has, they can put their lives back on the straight and narrow, to live a life full of happiness and health. For Goldstein, this love came in the form of deejaying.
He began his career in his early 20s and committed to sobriety shortly thereafter, becoming a poster boy for recovery for over a decade. He built his career by gaining exposure for his work through gigs at major night clubs, which gained him a huge following. Soon he was entertaining Hollywood elite like Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Hudson. When he started out, he had very little. He didn’t even have any dj equipment. Once he started purchasing some, he was able to start perfecting his DJ skills. After working hard, he started to get booked for performances.
As he gained popularity, DJ AM played himself on a number of shows, including The Simple Life and Entourage. He went on to amaze the world when he walked away from a plane crash last year that killed four others. Despite the pain and trauma that resulted, he continued following his passion, buying stakes in nightclubs and performing at top venues, until his death last week.
Sadly, life ended too soon for Goldstein and now his ultimate potential will never be known. But if we can learn anything from DJ AM, it’s that you are capable of achieving your wildest dreams no matter how dire your situation. Do what you love and success and recognition will follow.
