COLUMBIA, S.C. - Celebrity disc jockey DJ AM has been released from a Georgia hospital after suffering severe burns in a fiery plane crash a week ago, a spokeswoman for the musician said Friday.
"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," spokeswoman Jenni Weinman said in a statement.
DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, and former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, were rushed to a burn hospital in Augusta, Ga., after their Learjet crashed on takeoff from a Columbia airport. Doctors have said they expect both men to fully recover.
Two pilots and two other passengers who were close friends of the musicians were killed in the crash just before midnight Sept. 19.
An officer who was among the first on the scene said the musicians told him they escaped the flaming wreckage by sliding down a wing.
A hospital spokeswoman would not say when Barker was expected to be released. The head of the burn hospital said it can take up to one year to heal from the second- and third-degree burns the men suffered. But Dr. Fred Mullins said he didn't expect it to take that long for the musicians to heal.
The Learjet shot off the end of the runway, ripped through a fence and crossed a highway before coming to rest. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board have not said what caused the crash, but spokesman Peter Knudson said he expects the agency to release a preliminary report next week.
NTSB officials have said a cockpit voice recorder revealed that crew members thought a tire blew and tried to abort the takeoff. Investigators recovered pieces of tire from the runway.
Barker was one of the more colorful members of the multiplatinum-selling punk rock band Blink-182. DJ AM is a popular disc jockey who was also a tabloid favorite for some celebrity romances.
