September 29, 2008

DJ AM Released From Hospital

By MTV News staff (MTV.com)

Less than a week after the plane crash that took the lives of four people and seriously injured DJ AM and Travis Barker, DJ AM has been released from the Doctors Hospital in Georgia and is returning to Los Angeles, according to his publicist.

"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 worldwide," the rep said. "We ask that you continue to respect his privacy as he rests and heals and mourns the loss of his friends."

AM updated his Facebook status on Friday (September 26), sharing his first public message since the crash. "Adam Goldstein is the luckiest guy alive," his status now reads.

While no official news has been released about Travis Barker, who was also injured in the crash, Jermaine Dupri commented to People.com about his condition, saying that Barker will be released from the hospital in "about two weeks."

On Tuesday, Barker was reportedly trying to stay optimistic after multiple surgeries related to the crash, friend Bill Nosal told The Associated Press.

"If you make it out of a crash of that magnitude, somebody's looking out for you," said Nosal, who is also the spokesperson for Barker's clothing company, Famous Stars and Straps. "He's trying to stay upbeat."

Nosal said that Chris Baker, Barker's personal assistant who died in the Columbia, South Carolina, crash on Friday, "was like extended family." Barker also lost his bodyguard, Charles Still, in the crash, although Nosal pointed out that the drummer didn't always travel with security. The pilot and the co-pilot, Sarah Lemmon and James Bland, also died.

Lieutenant Josh Shumpert of the South Congaree, South Carolina, police department spoke to People.com about what he saw when he arrived at the scene. "[Barker and AM] told me that they slid down the wing on the right side of the plane," he said. "They said they were on fire and that they tackled each other and put each other out.

"When I got there, they were on the side of the road," he continued. "They were pacing and in shock. Travis was very shaken up."

Federal investigators are looking into the possibility that a blown tire could have contributed to the crash. They've found evidence that one of the jet's tires may have blown moments before takeoff at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Audio from the jet's cockpit voice recorder indicates that the pilot and co-pilot informed air-traffic controllers they'd heard a tire burst and tried to abort the takeoff.