Law enforcement officials have been speaking out on the death of DJ AM, saying the turntablist may have died from an accidental drug overdose, not suicide as some sources have suggested.
On the word of unnamed sources, TMZ is reporting that AM, a recovering addict, developed a dependency on Xanax and other anti-anxiety drugs after surviving a near fatal plane crash last year.
He and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker were the only survivors of the crash that claimed the lives of four others.
According to TMZ, AM was prescribed the medications because of his fear of flying, something he had to do frequently to fulfill his obligations as a DJ.
Although prescribed to settle his fears, TMZ says the medicine actually triggered a "recent" relapse.
"It very slowly and subtly reawakens addiction," Dr. Drew Pinsky, addiction specialist and VH1 Celebrity Rehab Host, told The Associated Press. "I'm not saying it was inappropriately prescribed; I'm saying he didn't know the risks."
In a stroke of horribly twisted irony, AM was set to star in an MTV special called Gone Too Far, in which he stages interventions with other people with problems with drug addiction.
DJ AM (born Adam Goldstein) was 36.
DJ AM was found dead in his New York City apartment on Friday (August 28), sparking reports about the role drugs may have played in his death.
Friends reportedly called police after not hearing from AM, born Adam Goldstein, for a few days.
Upon entering the residence, they discovered AM's body as well as crack pipe and prescription pills, a law enforcement official reportedly told the Associated Press.
Since his death, Celebrity Rehab host Dr. Drew Pinsky has come forward, suggesting AM's death may have been related to a relapse on painkillers.
"It very slowly and subtly reawakens addiction," Pinsky said of pain medication in an interview Saturday (August 29). "I'm not saying it was inappropriately prescribed, I'm saying he didn't know the risks."
Numerous reports are suggesting AM was first prescribed pain medication to deal with the pain from injuries sustained during his widely publicized plane crash around this time last year.
AM had previous problems with addiction and even teamed up with MTV recently for an Intervention style television show.
"I am a recovering drug addict," AM told the AP last month when promoting the show. "When I see it and I'm in their room and the paraphernalia and the whole lifestyle and everything, I still, 11 years later, have that little thing in my head that starts thinking, 'Oh, where's that? I wonder what that is?'"
As previously reported, AM and drummer Travis Barker were critically injured during a Lear Jet plane crash that claimed the lives of four others.
"Don't know how i am gonna play 2night but i am for AM," Barker wrote on Twitter. "My brother is gone. i love u and miss u, i'll never forget all the good times we had."
