Born in Philadelphia, Goldstein became interested in deejaying as a child after watching Herbie Hancock perform his 1983 single "Rockit".

In 2006, he accepted a $1 million contract to perform weekly at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas strip and was also charging upwards of $10,000 for private events.

His parents, Andrea and Herbert[2] – both of whom were Jewish[1] – had been unable to conceive children naturally, and they had adopted Goldstein's older sister Lara a year before his birth.

While heavily pregnant, she discovered her husband had been adulterous a second time, and then she angrily disclosed to him that he was not the biological father of her baby.

[2] After watching Herbie Hancock perform "Rockit" with Grand Mixer DXT at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in 1984, Goldstein became obsessed with deejaying, and realized that it was what he wanted to do for a career.

[5] When he was 14, Herbert was incarcerated for committing bank fraud, and his mother subsequently moved to Los Angeles with Goldstein and his sister.

He began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, avoided his friends who still took drugs, and dedicated himself to working as a DJ.

[10] After playing for his friends and at private parties for some time, Goldstein got his first paying job as a DJ at an unlicensed club in Los Angeles at the age of 21, where he earned $40 and a six-pack of beer for a night's work.

[12] Goldstein's weight problems became progressively worse, despite years of dieting; in 2003, he weighed 324 lb (147 kg) and underwent gastric bypass surgery.

Us Weekly editor Janice Min said that he was talented, but that the thing that set him apart from other deejays was that he dated Richie.

He played at private events for celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Ben Stiller, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

[6][22] Goldstein was also close friends with fellow DJ and producer Steve Aoki, who went on to praise him in his 2016 documentary I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.

[23] On September 19, after performing at a college event, he and Barker were aboard a Learjet 60 when it crashed upon takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina.

[29] In April 2009, Goldstein left his position at Caesars Palace to become Rain Nightclub's regular Friday night DJ in the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas.

[35] Goldstein filmed a cameo for the movie Iron Man 2 in June 2009, appearing as himself deejaying at the birthday party of Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.).

[36][37] Goldstein was involved with Activision's DJ Hero video game, contributing original mixes to and also appearing as a playable character.

[41] In an interview with Glamour in 2008, Goldstein said that while he had been sober for nine years, he had to remind himself every day that he was still a drug addict, saying: "At any given moment, I'm five seconds away from walking up to someone, grabbing their drink out of their hand and downing it.

"[40] As a result of the plane crash, Goldstein developed a fear of flying, and continued taking anxiety medication to help deal with the regular flights his lifestyle required.

BJ Hickman, an intervention expert who appeared in two episodes, noticed Goldstein "had a moment" holding the crack pipe, and later felt the need to call his sponsor.

Shortly thereafter, Goldstein leaves the building, informing the camera crew that he felt so tempted to consume the drugs that it was not safe for him to remain there.

[1][47] The New York medical examiner subsequently determined that Goldstein's death was an accident caused by "acute intoxication" from a combination of cocaine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, lorazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam, diphenhydramine, and levamisole.

[48] Goldstein's girlfriend, Hayley Wood, denied rumors that an alleged recent separation had contributed to his relapse, saying they had still been together at the time.

Among the hundreds of attendees were Nicole Richie, Travis Barker, Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Scott Caan, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

[56] In August 2010, the fund made a donation to the Los Angeles' Phoenix House Academy to help rehab patients develop musical talents.

[58][59] In August 2011, several DJs paid tribute to Goldstein at the Vanity Nightclub in the Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino, helping raise money for the fund.

[60] In May 2012, the eighth annual MusiCares benefit concert featured a special presentation commemorating the launch of the DJ AM Memorial Fund.

Goldstein's mother, in conjunction with the fund, was reported to be assisting MusiCares in providing recovery services to addicts.

[63] Eminem, who nearly died from a methadone overdose in late 2007, paid tribute to Goldstein on the 2010 song "Talkin' 2 Myself", rapping: "Rest in peace to DJ AM/'cause I know what it's like/I struggle with this shit every single day.

[66] Goldstein's death is also believed to have influenced the band's decision to retire their single, "Adam's Song", from their live performances until 2018.

[69] Footage of Goldstein and several other celebrities are featured in the documentary films Downtown Calling (2009),[70][71] and Electric Daisy Carnival Experience (2011).