The Awful Truth

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Hollywood is mourning the insanely early passing of one of music's treasures, DJ AM.

While too many questions still surround his tragic death, the coroner confirmed to E! today that suicide has not been ruled out as a possible cause of death.

We spoke with some of Adam Goldstein's close friends, professional and personal, and this just doesn't seem likely to the people who knew him best.

"[Adam] was not suicidal," a close pal insists. "The fact it [suicide] is a possibility stuns me. That's not the kind of person he was."

One of the reasons our sources are so adamant suicide couldn't be the case is because they talked to Goldstein the night before he was found dead in his apartment:

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Many of you know Ted's passion, besides celebrity gossip, is animals; mine is music. I've always been particularly fond of DJs and the nightclub scene, and DJ AM, without a doubt, was one of the most skilled performers I've been fortunate enough to see live.

I witnessed Adam Goldstein's work up close and personal while interviewing him last November; I was impressed he could carry on a conversation with me while still meticulously focused on his turntables, which he treated as an extension of his hands.

Even more fascinating was his positive attitude less than two months after miraculously surviving a plane crash. Most people could not bounce back so quickly after such a traumatic experience, but Adam was familiar with facing personal struggles all his life—with drug addiction, with food (for which he eventually underwent gastric bypass surgery) and with the constant harangue of the press—particularly when he was romantically involved with some of Hollywood's biggest starlets. He handled all his problems with humility and bravery, something extremely difficult for anyone to do, especially someone in the public eye.

I was a huge fan of DJ AM's for years, frequenting nightclubs just to hear him spin. He knew how to read a crowd and get everybody on the dance floor, which is much easier said than done. Adam often took other people's songs as the groundwork for his beats, but he always unmistakably made them his own.

My colleague Taryn Ryder and I both saw Adam and his friend (and fellow plane crash survivor) Travis Barker perform together at this year's Coachella as TRV$DJAM, and they managed to upstage every single headliner at the music festival. As a music lover, it was one of the most thrilling performances of my life, a visceral experience that is difficult to fully describe in words. I vowed the next time they played in Los Angeles I would be at the front of the line to see them again. I'm heartbroken there won't be a next time.

Besides being incredibly talented and at the top of his game, he was one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I've ever met. Regardless of the circumstances of his death, we lost a gifted musician and a decent human being, one who will truly be missed.

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Believe it or not, summer '09 wasn't all about hot bods or pale vampires —some celebrity scandals managed to take over our collective thoughts, too. We couldn't possibly forget to include the craziest of the bunch in our Best of Summer coverage, could we?

Some scandals were sexy, while others were just plain sad. No matter how you reacted, you have to admit these controversies kept us all on the edge of our seats—but which one ranks on top?

Vote for the celeb story that kept you staring at your computer begging for more instead of celebrating your carefree summer days outdoors.

(Did we miss something? Call us out in the comments!)

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Want to wax poetic on the summer of 09? Check out E! Online’s Best of Summer gallery!

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What's with all this breaking news about Dr. Arnie Klein being investigated for Michael Jackson's death? I'm wondering what took so long for the coroner to finally make a house call to the questionable doc's office. The Awful T. told you over a week ago how so-not-right M.J.'s doc is, it's a friggin' no-brainer. Need I remind you how addictive and dangerous Klein's prescription of Demerol actually was? And how much certain docs would love to give it to M.J. whenever he came in for the smallest stuff?

I certainly wouldn't be surprised if La Toya was right all along—and that's saying a lot, to be on the side of a woman allegedly paid for her doc-slamming interview. But murder? Hmm. Pretty strong words, La Toya, especially coming from a gal who used to crap all over her family every chance she got. Why so mama-bear with them now?

Let's hope Klein gets more heat on him than Dr. Jan Adams did when he helped botch the plastic surgery of Donde West (Kanye's beloved mother) last year. Sure, Adams got thrown in jail—but for a DUI, not for West's death.

You'd think with all the money in the world at their disposal, celebs could find better physicians to take care of them? Some stars treat their damn cars better than their bodies.

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Michael Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnie Klein, opened up on Larry King, doing a horrible job of claiming innocence. "I told him specifically the dangers of Diprivan," said Klein. "I told him this drug was very dangerous. He assured me he stopped." The doc admitted that he used sedatives on Jackson, but never prescribed him anything stronger than Demerol.

So he's saying Diprivan is dangerous, but Demerol's not? Klein's talking about Demerol like it's friggin' aspirin or something. We spoke to Dr. Daniel Landau, M.D., who definitely begs to differ: "I have never used Demerol because of how addictive it is," says Landau.

"You get a high off of it," he continues, saying Demerol highs last longer than morphine, about seven or eight hours. "I'd be stunned if you found a doctor who would give you Demerol still."

Dr. Klein, turns out, is one such doctor. Read on for more shocking info from Landau...

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We've finally made it to the day of Michael Jackson's private funeral (as private as it could get, anyway, for a colossal megastar such as him) and his world-watched memorial at Staples Center. Which, turns out, was an even more coveted ticket than any one of his London concert gigs.

The world's interest in, and affection for, M.J. has astronomically grown since his passing, and a huge shift in the public perception of this eccentric figure can't go unquestioned.

Has anyone else noticed the sudden idolatry now that Jackson is dead? Why do some fans, journalists and music insiders who were so quick to criticize him when he was alive, seem that much more comfortable praising Jackson now that he's gone?

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After Michael Jackson's somewhat early passing, tons of questions have been raised about how exactly the talented pop star spent the last several years of his life.

Well, from what we're hearing from sources high up in Jackson's life, all of those broke rumors weren't exactly rumors at all.

We're told investors who bailed out Jackson last year never saw Michael's death coming. But now they may wind up making much more dough than they had originally thought...

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Though many people out there would love to only remember Michael Jackson as a music legend and nothing else, the King of Pop's less-than-glowing behavior throughout his life is bound to bubble to the surface at some point, whether dearly devoted fans like it or not.

With respect to the Jackson family, it's well-known that Michael led a troubled life and wound up in and out of court again and again. Does having undeniable talent totally negate allegedly committing horrible crimes? Unfortunately, sometimes it does in Hollywood.

We talked to a key figure in Jackson's defense from his last trial and asked him point-blank: Did you ever look at him head-on and ask if he really, truly molested those children?

"I did ask," the M.J. player told us. And you'll be surprised what M.J. told him back:

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Sadly, we've uncovered even more tragic inside information about how Michael Jackson's drug use may have heavily contributed to his passing.

A reliable and close Jackson medical source tells us that M.J. would visit his myriad doctors for tiny (mostly minor superficial) procedures—not even overnight observance kind of stuff—on a regular basis. Very much like a hypochondriac, tho we doubt Michael was just making up ailments out of thin air.

But Jackson wasn't treated like other patients. He was way, way overtreated, and then some, on some serious stuff:

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We're just days away from Michael Jackson finally being laid to rest, as the "private family service" is expected to take place this Sunday in Los Angeles, someone who's been invited tells us.

"[The Jackson family]'s just making calls now," says the invitee himself. "They're deciding where right now." (The burial itself will take place at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.)

But the media frenzy around the King of Pop's death is anything but over.

A close-knit Jackson family companion shares with us that even though he was invited to the service, he's actually debating whether or not to attend.

Why wouldn't he, you're wondering? There are thousands of M.J. fans who would love to pay their respects—and that's exactly the problem:

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The BET Awards last weekend were basically a three-and-a-half-hour tribute to Michael Jackson, as totally expected. But the celebration of his life kept going long after the show was over. All the award-goers drove out to Beverly Hills for the post-BET fete at Mr. Chow (sponsored by Heineken) to dish about their experiences working with or just dancing to M.J.'s tunes over the years.

Appropriately, the party only played Michael's music, since that's all anybody wanted to hear!

We spoke to Vivica A. Fox, who made a cameo in M.J.'s "Remember the Time" vid, still a classic today. "I miss his smile," was how VAF told us how she felt about the departed King of Pop, but didn't stop there:

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GSI Mmedia, AP Photo/Houston Chronicle

Do the physicians of celebrities not take the Hippocratic Oath? Most docs have been traditionally known to take the oath (not required by law) that calls for the ethical and moral practice of medicine, but in light of the events leading to Michael Jackson's bizarre death, I've got to wonder: Do these MDs make their own medical rules, much like their famous clients make their own laws?

Take a look at Jackson's doctor drama. Reports are being uncovered that Jackson allegedly owed a Beverly Hills pharmacy more than $100,000 for prescription drugs over two years, and there's been a lot of chatter about M.J.'s supposed drug abuse. Plus, don't forget Jackson admitted himself he was often impaired by drugs.

Both M.J. and close his friend Liz Taylor struggled with painkillers and were both far overprescribed by their doctors. Diva legend Liz is somehow still hanging on, but her body has been ravaged by meds and alcohol, and almost 20 years ago, her doctors were investigated for prescribing an excessive amount of drugs to the star. Why do those investigations not happen more often (or at least before someone dies)? 

Seriously, live-in doctors—as was the case with Jackson—just may be the new Chihuahuas: a must-have, trendy accessory.

And if they're tempted by the glamorous lifestyles of their celebrity clients, why would they ever deny a famous friend's requests. I mean, who's going to say no to Michael Jackson? (No one.) 

If docs would go back to their medical roots, maybe Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger and even Marilyn Monroe would still be around. Yeah, addiction may be what killed these folks, but it's certainly a medical question worth asking.