The blink-182 drummer shared that the late DJ had struggled with his sobriety after the two of them survived a plane crash.

Travis Barker reveals heartbreaking last text with DJ AM prior to his death

The blink-182 drummer shared that the late DJ had struggled with his sobriety after the two of them survived a plane crash.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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August 21, 2026 4:57 p.m. ET

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DJ AM and Travis Barker attend the launch of “DJ Hero” on June 1, 2009. Credit:

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

- Travis Barker revealed the last text exchange he had with DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein, before the late artist’s death.

- DJ AM, who struggled with addiction, had been considering relapsing after over a decade of sobriety.

- DJ AM died of a drug overdose at the age of 36 in 2009.

Travis Barker is remembering his final words to his late friend DJ AM.

The two friends, who had performed together under the moniker TRV$DJAM, had both struggled after surviving a plane crash in 2008. While Barker had his family to lean on in the aftermath, he said that DJ AM, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, didn’t have the same support system.

“I just gotta have faith that I’m here for a reason and make the most of it,” Barker recalled thinking on the CNN Podcast *All There Is with Anderson Cooper* on Thursday. “My kids were so important to me. Like when I got home and once I was out of the hospital, that was like, that was my rock. That gave me everything I needed.”

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As for Goldstein, who died of a drug overdose in 2009 less than a year after the incident, Barker said, “AM was suffering because he wasn’t waking up with kids. He just went back to work.”

While the pair leaned on each other after the crash, there were times when the *Gone Too Far* host, who was open about his struggle with addiction, pushed the blink-182 drummer away. Still, Barker did not understand the full extent of his friend’s pain.

“I never doubted his sobriety,” Barker said. “He was just so strong. I had spoken to him a lot, like, right before he had passed. I was back in Blink and we were touring. I remember him writing me and saying like, ‘Man, you don’t care about me anymore.’”

In response, Barker tried to reassure Goldstein, saying, “Nah, I can’t wait to play more shows with you, you kidding me?”

DJ AM during the ‘Teen Vogue’ Pac Sun Holiday Beach Bash on December 19, 2006.

J.Sciulli/WireImage

Shortly after that, Barker said he was supposed to meet Goldstein in New York, but was unable to get ahold of him. A drum technician informed him of his friend’s death while he was in a studio session.

Barker looked back at his final text exchange with Goldstein, who had been struggling with his sobriety following their accident.

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“One of the last things he had said — which I always run back in my head, it was through texting — he’s like, ‘Man, honestly, I just feel like doing a bunch of drugs and saying f*** it,’” Barker said. “And I was like, you know, no. Once again, I thought he was bulletproof.”

Following Goldstein’s death, Barker had a difficult time being “the only survivor.” He did not fly in a plane for nearly 13 years after the crash, which left him with burns on 70% of his body.

Travis Barker attends the ‘Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear’ Premiere during the 2026 Tribeca Festival.

Arturo Holmes/Getty

Accompanied by his wife Kourtney Kardashian, Barker flew on Kylie Jenner’s private jet in August 2021, marking his first time in the air since his accident.

“It’s a huge deal that Travis flew to Cabo. The plane crash many years ago was extremely traumatizing. He has needed a lot of help to get to this point,” a source told PEOPLE. “Kourtney has been very supportive. She never pushed for him to fly. They have managed to travel in the US without having to fly and Kourtney has been totally fine with it.”

Watch the full podcast episode of *All There Is with Anderson Cooper* featuring Travis Barker above.

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