Travis Barker has shared a tribute to his three late friends on the 15th anniversary of a plane crash they were in together.
The Blink-182 drummer has spoken at length on numerous occasions about the mental and physical impact of being in a plane crash in 2008, which killed his assistant, Chris Baker, and security guard, Charles “Che” Still, along with both pilots.
His friend, Adam ‘DJ AM’ Goldstein survived the crash but died one year later due to an overdose.
The group were flying in a private plane from Columbia, South Carolina, to Los Angeles on September 19 when the aircraft experienced an emergency during takeoff. An investigation later found that the tires burst which prompted the pilot to abort the flight, resulting in the plane skidding across the runaway and becoming engulfed in flames.
Posting to his Instagram Story for the anniversary, Barker wrote “Rest In Peace” with a dove emoji, followed by the names: “Lil Chris, Che, DJAM”. He added “Gone but never forgotten” with prayer hand emojis. He also reposted a photo him and Lil Chris from an account paying tribute to his memory.
Barker suffered third degree burns on 65 per cent of his body and spent three months in hospital for 26 surgeries after the accident. He previously shared that the subsequent anxiety and depression was so great that he “offered a friend $1milllion to kill him”.
He also shared that the crash made him quit prescription drugs, describing it as “my rehab”.
Discussing the emotional toll, he told Men’s Health: “I was dark. I couldn’t walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash, and I just didn’t want to see it.
After the accident, Barker swapped plane travel during tours for buses, cars and cruise ships. In 2011, he said he was considering hypnotherapy so he could fly again, and he dropped out of a tour of Australia in 2013 due to his fear.
In 2021, though, the musician shared that his now-wife Kourtney Kardashian gave him the “strength” to take a flight again.
The pair flew from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico on Kylie Jenner’s private jet, which marked Barker’s first flight since he survived the crash.
Blink-182 this week announced new album ‘One More Time…’ with the classic line-up of Barker, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge. The pop-punk rockers will be touring the UK next month with shows at London’s O2 Arena, Birmingham’s Utilita Arena and Manchester’s AO Arena. You can be any remaining tickets here.
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