As a teen, Travis Barker once told a pal he expected to die in a plane crash. Years later, on Sept. 19, 2008, his premonition almost came true, when the tires blew out on a Learjet 60 carrying him and five others. Now, in his new book, Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums, the Blink-182 rocker is opening up about the terrifying tragedy, which left four dead.
Barker, now 39, was one of two survivors of the South Carolina crash, along with the late Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, who died in 2009 of an apparent overdose. Both suffered severe burns and were hospitalized; Barker, in particular, spent 11 weeks under doctors' care, and underwent multiple surgeries.
Barker's memoir doesn't hit shelves until Oct. 20, but you can read a snippet about the plane crash below, and in the new issue of Us Weekly, which also features an in-depth interview with the Meet the Barkers star.
Excerpted from Can I Say:
"I panicked. I pulled the handle on the emergency exit and kicked the door open. I jumped out — right into the jet wing, which was filled with fuel. My whole body got covered with fuel and caught fire, from my legs all the way to my back. I started running. As I ran, I took off my shirt, I took off my hat, I took off my shorts — but I couldn’t get the fire off me. I was naked, moving as fast as I could, holding my genitals — everything else was on fire — and I kept running, hoping that would put out the flames. At that moment, I felt like I was running for my family. I didn't care about anything except being with my kids, my father, my sister, Shanna…I didn't think I was going to survive.
From the book, CAN I SAY: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums by Travis Barker with Gavin Edwards. Copyright © 2015 by Clarence Worley, Inc. To be published on October 20, 2015 by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.
Pick up the new issue of Us Weekly for more from Barker, including exclusive details on his relationship with ex-wife Shanna Moakler, his crush on Kim Kardashian, and how he got — and stayed — sober.
