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(UPDATE: The Palms Casino in Las Vegas…photo by DJScene1 via DJNessNYC)

Before his tragic passing, DJ AM was working with producer and friend Paul Rosenberg (Shady Records) on a show for MTV called “Gone Too Far,” which featured him, pulling from his own personal experience as a recovering drug addict to help other young people caught in cycles of addiction….he called it “‘Intervention’ for the MTV Generation.” It’s unclear if MTV will still air finished episodes, but taking on a project like that reflects character. Sharing your lowest moments with a stranger with the hope that it’ll help them avoid the same low…takes courage and compassion.

But beyond the struggles that AM fought in the past, and the high-profile romances, and even beyond AM and Travis Barker’s miraculous plane-crash survival…first and foremost, he was a DJ…a student, a fan, and a creator of music. Which is the sentiment that I heard from other deejays all night, in reaction to his death.

Below is DJ AM and DJ Jazzy Jeff spinning side by side at the House of Blues in New Orleans. I also attached a few other classic clips of AM spinning at Undefeated (he was a super sneakerhead), spinning with Travis Barker on drums (I remember being blown away by their show at Crobar NYC), AM and Barker backing up Kid Cudi at the VMA’s last year, and more….this should will be his legacy. The music.

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(photo of DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Questlove and others at Philly DJ Day last year, wearing DJ AM shirts to show support after AM and Travis Barker’s plane crash. Read more at FiftyoneFiftyOne)

UPDATE 2: I’m noticing that one of the blessings and curses of Twitter is that we can get instant feedback from people both deeply involved and incredibly irrelevant to whatever is happening in the world…I’m trying to ignore all the random celebrity “responses” that are being cited all over the web. If you want to read a real heartfelt message from someone who can tell you something deeper than the fact that they partied in a club to DJ AM’s music, check out:

Diplo’s comment on the MadDecent blog

Justin Warfield’s memories on the Urb blog