Celebrity Mound

DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, has been released from the hospital after suffering injuries from a plane crash that killed four people last week, his rep confirmed to Access Hollywood.

“Adam Goldstein has been released from Doctors Hospital,” the rep said in a statement. “While he is deeply saddened by the events he is thankful for all of the love and support he has been receiving from fans and friends world wide. We ask that you continue respect his privacy as he rests and heals and mourns the loss of his friends”.

And the DJ is already back home in L.A.
“I’ve been speaking with him this week. He just got back to Los Angeles,” Perez Hilton told Access Hollywood on Thursday night.

The gossip blogger says he’s “good friends” with the DJ. According to Perez, Adam arrived back home on Thursday – by bus.

“That might tell you something about his desire to use or not use airplanes in the future,” Perez said.
But while DJ AM has returned, fellow passenger and TRVSDJ-AM musical collaborator, Travis Barker remains in the hospital.
“[Adam] just said to me to pray for Travis, so that makes me a little concerned that Travis’ injuries might be more severe than his were,” Perez said.
According to People, Barker pal and hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri says the former Blink-182 drummer will be in the hospital for another two weeks.

“He’s doing good, he’s gonna be alright. He’s just got a lot of healing to do,” Dupri told the mag.
Barker has undergone several surgeries for burns over his torso and lower body, the Associated Press reported. He and DJ AM were severely injured in a Learjet crash in Columbia, South Carolina, late on Friday, Sept. 19, which led to the deaths of pilots Sarah Lemmon and James Bland, as well as Chris Baker and Charles Still, who worked for the musicians.
One of the first responders to the crash has said that Barker and DJ AM escaped the flaming wreckage by sliding down the jet’s wing.

“They said the plane went down. They didn’t say how or if they knew,” Lt. Jason Shumpert of the South Congaree Police Department told the Associated Press. “Once it went down, they were able to slide down the wing of the plane, and they jumped on each other to put fires on each other out and rolled around on the ground.”

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One of the first responders to a fiery South Carolina plane crash said Wednesday that a pair of musicians escaped the flaming wreckage by sliding down the wing.

“They said the plane went down. They didn’t say how or if they knew,” said Lt. Jason Shumpert of the South Congaree Police Department. “Once it went down, they were able to slide down the wing of the plane, and they jumped on each other to put fires on each other out and rolled around on the ground.”

Shumpert said he didn’t know until later that the two badly burned men were former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein. One of their doctors at a Georgia burn hospital said he expects them to fully recover from their second- and third-degree burns.

A video of the Friday night crash scene shot from Shumpert’s police car shows an inferno next to the road, with screams ringing out above the din of sirens of ambulances and fire trucks. Shumpert said the screaming voice belonged to Barker, who was trembling and seemed to be in intense pain as he sat on the sidewalk, waiting for medical help to arrive.

“Travis, you could tell he was in pain,” Shumpert said. “He just kept saying: ‘That’s my friends in the plane, that’s my friends in the plane.’”

Pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., and co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Calif., died of smoke inhalation and burns within minutes of the crash. A South Carolina coroner has said Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles, close friends of the musicians, died on impact.

Barker, 32, was one of the more colorful members of the multiplatinum-selling punk rock band Blink-182. DJ AM is a popular DJ who was also a tabloid favorite for some celebrity romances.

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board have not said what caused the crash. A cockpit voice recorder revealed that crew members thought a tire blew and tried to abort the takeoff. The Learjet shot off the end of the runway, ripped through a fence and crossed a highway before coming to rest, engulfed in flames.

NTSB officials, who have recovered pieces of tire from the runway, planned to return to Washington on Thursday. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which made the tires, has said it is cooperating with the investigation.

A spokesman for a clothing company Barker owns said Tuesday the drummer had been through several surgeries and was trying to keep an upbeat attitude. Regardless of what caused the crash, Shumpert said both men are lucky to be alive.

“It was divine intervention that they got out,” he said. “They should be commended for being able to get out and keep their heads together.”

How did Travis Barker and DJ AM (real name: Adam Goldstein) survive the plane crash that killed four people and left them with second- and third-degree burns?

“[Travis and Adam] told me that they slid down the wing on the right side of the plane,” Lieut. Josh Shumpert of the South Congaree Police Department said. Shumpert was one of the second responders at the scene – Congaree is the town outside of Columbia, S.C. – after the airport police arrived.

“They said they were on fire,” adds Shumpert, whose patrol car’s dashboard camera caught video of the fiery aftermath, “and that they tackled each other and put each other out.”

“When I got there they were on the side of the road,” says Shumpert. “They were pacing and in shock.”

“Travis was very shaken up,” he says, noting that Barker was given Gatorade after he asked for some water.

According to the lieutenant, the pair weren’t naked, contrary to eyewitness statements.

“Travis was wearing some kind of shorts and no shirt,” says Shumpert, adding that Goldstein was wearing shorts or boxers as well. “Travis had one sock on. And a black hat on his head.”

Quick Thinking
The fast reactions of the former Blink 182 drummer Barker, 32, and Goldstein, 35, gave them a good chance of a full recovery.

“Since both Barker and Goldstein are in overall good health and didn’t suffer from any other crash-related complications, a full recovery is expected,” said Dr. Fred Mullins of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors’ Hospital in Augusta at a Sunday morning press conference.

Mullins added that recovery from such burns can take as long as a year.

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Though Travis Barker is mourning the loss of two close friends and suffering from severe burns after surviving a plane crash with DJ AM on Friday, a friend says the musician is trying to keep a positive outlook.

“If you make it out of a crash of that magnitude, somebody’s looking out for you,” says Bill Nosal, a friend who also acts as a spokesman for Famous Stars and Straps, a Los Angeles-based clothing and accessory line created by Barker. “He’s trying to stay upbeat.”

Four people were killed when the Learjet Barker and DJ AM were riding in crashed at the main airport in Columbia, S.C., including the pilot and co-pilot. Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif.; and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles, close friends of the musicians, died on impact. Nosal told the AP that Baker “was like extended family,” to Barker.

There has been an outpouring of condolences and get-well messages for the victims of the crash. LL Cool J, who performed alongside DJ AM and Barker at the Video Music Awards earlier this month, said Tuesday: “Definitely my condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives. I hope that Travis and DJ AM have a speedy recovery and get back out there performing and creating for people. They’re talented.”

The two survivors managed to escape the wreck by “sliding down the wing on the right side of the plane,” Lieut. Josh Shumpert of the South Congaree Police Department said.

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Shanna Moakler has released the following statement regarding Travis Barker’s weekend jet crash:

“There are not enough words to express how thankful we are for the outpouring of love and support we have received during this very difficult time. We can only ask for prayers as we heal and mourn the loss of our dear friends who we considered part of our family. Our lives will be changed forever.”

Moakler, who is now back together with Barker after a 2004 divorce (they have two kids together), is with the rocker as he recovers from second and third degree burns at the Joseph Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia. He is expected to make a full recovery.

He has been receiving an outpouring of support from his celebrity friends.

DJ Steve Aoki and Jermaine Dupri paid him a visit over the weekend.

“It’s a seriously sad situation,” Dupri told Usmagazine.com. “He’s doing good… but I really hate to see my friends go through this.”

On Monday, a coroner determined that smoke and fire killed the pilot and co-pilot while impact-related injuries killed two other passengers.

While a cause for the crash has yet to officially be determined, a blown tire during takeoff may be to blame.

In a statement, Goodyear, the tire’s manufacturer, said: “We have been contacted by the [National Transportation Safety Board] and will cooperate fully with its investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this accident.”

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Music producer Jermaine Dupri and Janet Jackson’s boyfriend, visited Travis Barker in the hospital on Sunday.

“It’s a seriously sad situation,” Dupri tells Usmagazine.com. He’s doing good… but I really hate to see my friends go through this.”

Mandy Moore, who used to date DJ AM, was also spotted at the hospital today.

Barker and DJ AM suffered second and third degree burns from Friday’s jet crash that killed four people, Dr. Fred Mullins, Medical Director at Georgia’s Joseph Still Burn Center, announced at a press conference Sunday morning.

Barker has burns on his torso and lower body and Goldstein has burns on his arm and part of his head, Mullins said. (Mullins would not say the percentage of their bodies that were burned or whether they were conscious. He also did not go into detail about the type of treatment they are currently receiving.)

He said the two did not sustain any other injuries from the crash.

“I think these patients are going to make a full recovery,” Mullins said.

He added, “Anybody who can survive a plane crash is very lucky.”

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A tire blowout may have caused the Learjet 60 carrying Travis Barker, DJ AM and four others to crash upon takeoff just after midnight Friday in Columbia, S.C., officials said Sunday.

“The cockpit voice recorder went on for two hours, but the last 18 minutes were most pertinent, because those words proved that it was a tire blowout that [may have] caused the crash killing four people,” Debbie Hersman, board member of the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C., tells PEOPLE.

“After getting their clearance from Air Traffic Control, the plane only got 80 knots on the 8,600-foot runway before the incident,” she said.

Pilot Sarah Lemmon, 3l, co-pilot James Bland, 52, security guard Charles Still, 25, and Barker’s assistant Chris Baker, 29, were killed instantly.

Barker, 32, and DJ AM (real name: Adam Goldstein), 35, are in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit of a burn center in nearby Augusta, Ga.

Attempt to Abort Takeoff
The crew tried to abort takeoff, the recording stated, and there were many background and impact sounds on the tape. The voice tapes from the control tower were equally revealing.

“The Air Traffic Control tapes stated that they gave the crew clearance to depart, as well as the wind speeds,” said Hersman, who is in Columbia with 11 other investigators from the NTSB.

“The tapes went on to say they saw sparks and heard the crew on the plane explaining that they were going off of the runway,” she said.

At 100 feet past the end of the runway, the 2-year-old plane came to its final rest.

“We are doing a lot more investigating because, while it is not uncommon to blow a tire, it is rare for something like that to end in a fatal accident,” says Hersman.

“Reasons could be anything from inflation levels, materials, punctures, design, etc. So we are doing everything in our power to learn what transpired and make recommendations so nothing like this ever happens again.”

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Travis Barker and DJ AM suffered second and third degree burns from Friday’s jet crash that killed four people, Dr. Fred Mullins, Medical Director at Georgia’s Joseph Still Burn Center, announced at a press conference Sunday morning.

Barker has burns on his torso and lower body and Goldstein has burns on his arm and part of his head, Mullins said. (Mullins would not say the percentage of their bodies that were burned or whether they were conscious. He also did not go into detail about the type of treatment they are currently receiving.)

He said the two did not sustain any other injuries from the crash.

“I think these patients are going to make a full recovery,” Mullins said.

He added, “Anybody who can survive a plane crash is very lucky.”

During the conference, Mullins also read a statement from the families.

“The families wish to thank fans from all over the world for their prayers and concern. Deepest sympathy is expressed to the loved ones of those who perished in the crash. As the two recuperate and mourn this loss, privacy for them, their families and friends is requested at this time.”

Fans who would like to send well wishes to Barker or DJ AM may go to the center’s Web site; click on “visitors” and then “email a patient.”

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Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein, known as celebrity DJ AM, were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash in South Carolina that killed four Southern Californians, including two members of Barker’s entourage, authorities said.

The pilot, Sarah Lemmon of Anaheim Hills, and copilot, James Bland of Carlsbad, were killed. Barker’s personal assistant Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City and his bodyguard Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles, also were among the dead, according to the Lexington County coroner.

The Learjet, which was en route to Van Nuys, was taking off shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers saw sparks. In what officials described as a “high-speed overrun” the jet veered off the end of the runway, through a grassy area, a perimeter fence and across a road, slammed into a berm and became engulfed in a “significant fire,” said National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson.

Barker and Goldstein were in critical but stable condition this afternoon at Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., about 75 miles southwest of the crash site in Columbia, S.C., said hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits. She declined to comment on their injuries.

“It’s absolutely terrible and tragic,” Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said.

A trail of black soot led off a runway, across a five-lane road next to the airport and up an embankment. The nose of the aircraft was gone and the roof was missing from two-thirds of the charred plane.

The plane is owned by Global Exec Aviation, a Long Beach-based charter company, and was certified to operate last year, an NTSB official said.

A 10-member investigative team from the NTSB, which expects to be onsite for up to a week, secured and removed the cockpit voice recorder and sent it to a lab in Washington, D.C., for evaluation. Because of the ferocity of the fire following the crash, investigators could not say whether the data were damaged, but will announce what the quality of the recording was as soon as it is known.

Air traffic controllers did not know if the Learjet had become airborne before the crash, which occurred in clear weather with light winds. The pilots had filed a flight plan from Columbia to Van Nuys with no fuel stops scheduled. As part of the investigation, the NTSB will be looking at the jet’s maintenance records, the pilots’ medical history and training and their activities going back to 72 hours before the crash.

According to music industry sources, Charles “Che” Still was a longtime friend of Barker’s and sometimes worked as a bodyguard when the star drummer performed in small shows. Barker and Goldstein had performed together under the name TRVSDJ-AM at a free concert in Columbia on Friday night.

Baker, nicknamed “Little Chris,” worked as a personal assistant to Barker and had appeared sometimes on MTV’s “Meet the Barkers” the domestic-life reality show that aired in 2005 and 2006.

Michael Creger, a friend of Still, said the bodyguard’s family was reeling from the news. They were upset, too, that early media reports of the accident focused on the injured Barker instead of the dead passengers. Still’s family had thought the group in South Carolina would be returning home on a commercial flight, but travel plans apparently had changed.

The athletic Still was “a gentle giant” who aspired to be a professional athlete and had been working part time for Barker, Creger said. He was a “huge music fan” who, with his tattoos and stature, was an imposing figure to strangers. His friends, however, knew him as “a loving guy, the kind of guy would do anything for anybody,” Creger said.

Mark Shafer, spokesman for the charter company, declined to comment on the crash or the pilots. He said the company is sending a management team to South Carolina to cooperate with the FAA and the NTSB.

The firm’s website states that it caters to corporate clientele, including “many VIPS in the entertainment industry.”

Relatives of co-pilot James Bland, 52, gathered today at the home of his younger sister, Laura Bland, in Redondo Beach.

“He always said this could happen,” Laura Bland said in a phone interview. “He lost a couple of friends in different accidents, but of anybody we knew, he was just so conscientious that we didn’t expect this at all.”

Laura Bland said her brother started his piloting career at age 17, moving to Tulsa, Okla., to attend the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology.

“When he was a little kid, my grandfather would take him to the Orange County airport and watch the planes take off, and he’d say, ‘I’m going to do that someday!’ ” she said. “But he took piloting very seriously, I mean this was someone who was tremendously responsible and wouldn’t pay a bill even one day late.”

James Bland went on to work for police departments in Laguna Beach and Santa Ana, and then spent 20 years working as a helicopter pilot for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Coronado, Calif. For the last two years, he had worked as a pilot for various private jet companies based out of Southern California.

A family man, Bland shared his Carlsbad home with his wife Anne, 46, and 16-year-old daughter, Erin. The eldest of three children, he assumed a patriarchal role after his father died at 59. “He was like a father to me,” Laura said. “If there was ever an emergency in the family, he always was the first to try to fix it.”

The flight took off several hours after Barker and Goldstein’s show Friday, which included performances by former Jane’s Addiction singer Perry Ferrell and singer Gavin DeGraw. About 10,000 people crowded into the streets of Five Points, the neighborhood near the University of South Carolina, Coble said.

Barker is one of the more famous faces to rise up in the Southern California pop-punk scene and, unlike many drummers who are fairly anonymous figures at the rear of the stage, he parlayed his popularity into television roles, advertising appearances and varied business ventures.

The 33-year-old Fontana native came to fame as the drummer in the platinum-selling San Diego County band Blink-182, one of the top U.S. bands at the beginning of this decade.

After Blink broke up, Barker went on to play with other rock bands such as +44, the Transplants and Box Car Racer, but he also established himself a musical chameleon, working with hip-hop acts such as Busta Rhymes, the Game, the Black Eyed Peas and the Oscar-winning group Three 6 Mafia.

Barker and then-wife Shanna Moakler, a former Miss USA, were in front of the cameras along with their three children for “Meet the Barkers.” The rock star also appeared in the 1999 hit film “American Pie,” and his television appearances include “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Simpsons,” “MAD TV” and “MTV Cribs.”

The tattoo-covered Barker, who often pops up in the gossip pages for his liaisons with celebritiessuch as Paris Hilton, was also the subject of a popular 2006 Boost Mobile television commercial that has been viewed more than 800,000 times on YouTube.

Nine years ago, he launched a clothing line called Famous Stars and Straps, which opened a flagship store called the Fast Life near the intersection of Third Street and Crescent Heights Boulevard in Los Angeles. Some fans were stopping by Saturday to ask about the condition of the star, his associates and the crew.

Barker performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with Goldstein, who goes by the stage moniker DJ AM. Goldstein was formerly in the band “Crazy Town” but today he may be best known for his romances — he was engaged for a time to “The Simple Life” star Nicole Richie and also had relationships with singer Mandy Moore and Canadian model Jessica Stam.

He is also the owner of the popular Hollywood nightclub LAX, which has been a major spot in the celebrity circuit since its opening in 2005.

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