Las Vegas Weekly

September 8, 2009 · 10:36 AM

Friends and family gather in Hollywood to celebrate DJ AM’s life

By Robin Leach

DJ AM at Rain in the Palms.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

The life of Adam Goldstein was given a final send-off by close friends and family at Hollywood’s Palladium on Thursday evening ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend. The Palladium is the very venue that he spun at for its opening last October not long after his tragic Lear jet crash in South Carolina.

As expected, the event, which was staged by Hollywood nightlife king Brent Bolthouse, attracted celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane, Robert Downey Jr., Nicky Hilton, Jon Favreau, Tom Arnold, John Mayer and a very pregnant Nicole Richie.

In respect to Adam’s long battle with addiction, the nearly three-hour memorial resembled that of a 12-step meeting (he reportedly attended several Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week). Attendees were asked to honor the tradition of anonymity, and all cell phones and cameras were consequently prohibited.

In true DJ AM style, the event was simple -- no food or alcohol -- and was a chill Hollywood night out, as some of the many hundreds of guests were dressed in their finest black attire, while others opted for a more casual look of jeans and a shirt.

“It was beautiful, a mixture of laughter and tears,” one attendee said, adding that about 50 people, including Adam’s girlfriend Haley Wood, spoke, sharing stories and tributes.

“There was lots of music and movement,” another friend of Adam’s said. “The universal message was that he was the best friend, the best partner, the best boyfriend, the best son anyone could ever be, and the lives that he touched was extraordinary. He was always there day or night for the people that he loved. And he loved.”

Adam’s family also asked that in lieu of flowers, fans and friends instead make donations to the Los Angeles-based Friendly House, a charity that supports women recovering from alcohol and substance abuse.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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