September 30, 2008

DJ AM Attends Memorial Service For Plane-Crash Victim Chris Baker

By Larry Carroll (MTV.com)

The entertainment world was rocked September 20 when Travis Barker and DJ AM were among the small group of passengers on a Learjet that crashed before takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. Fans were further astonished to learn that the two musicians were the only people to leave the plane alive.

Now, only nine days later, DJ AM has made his first public appearance to pay tribute to one of the duo's deceased friends. According to People.com, AM (real name: Adam Goldstein) was one of 300 mourners who turned out in Los Angeles on Monday (September 29) to attend a memorial service for Chris "Lil Chris" Baker, who served as an assistant to Barker for several years and was a close friend to both musicians. At the time of his death, he had been accompanying Barker and AM on tour.

Sporting a bandage on the right side of his neck, oversized sunglasses and little visible damage to his face, DJ AM arrived in a limousine for the two-hour event. Following a request by Baker's wife, Otillia Villar, Goldstein wore green to pay tribute to his deceased friend.

The DJ was released Friday from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, where he battled back after suffering severe burns and being listed in critical condition. Barker was released from the hospital on Monday and will spend the next few days traveling back to Los Angeles on a bus.

The plane's pilot and co-pilot and two passengers (including Baker, a regular on Travis' reality show Meet the Barkers, and security guard Charles Still) were killed in the late-night crash. It came just hours after Barker and DJ AM performed at an event alongside Perry Farrell and Gavin DeGraw.