Travis Barker is still struggling with his fear of flying after narrowly surviving a deadly plane crash more than 16 years ago.
In September 2008, Barker and his collaborator Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein were flying on a private Learjet that crashed in Columbia, South Carolina, after it caught fire. Barker and Goldstein were the only survivors of the six people on board the aircraft.
The musician, who was seriously injured in the incident, has battled PTSD and flew in a plane for the first time since the crash in 2021 after initially vowing never to board a plane again.
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During an interview with Fox News Digital, Barker admitted that he hesitated over taking the trip to New Orleans this weekend, when he hosted his Run Travis Run event on Friday ahead of his performance at FanDuel x Spotify Super Bowl Party. He said that he was shaken by the two plane crashes that shocked the world just over a week ago.
“It actually doesn’t help me move past it, it makes it much worse,” he admitted. “I almost didn’t come.”
“It’s hard for me to get on flights,” he continued. “I do it sober. I don’t need to take anything. I don’t need to do anything. But it just gets harder and harder. Especially when your biggest fears, like, you start to see them come to life in reality.
“When you kind of tell yourself, these things never happen. These things never happen. And then, just lately, I feel like we’ve been — like we’re seeing it almost every day.”
On Jan. 29, a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines commercial passenger plane over the Potomac River as the airliner was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. All 67 people, including 64 on the plane and three in the helicopter, perished in the crash.
WATCH: TRAVIS BARKER SAYS RECENT PLANE CRASHES ARE BIGGEST FEAR COME TO LIFE AFTER SURVIVING DEADLY 2008 FLIGHT
The disaster marked the first major crash involving a U.S. passenger plane since 2009. It was also the deadliest crash since an American Airlines international passenger plane plummeted into a neighborhood in Queens, New York, which claimed the lives of all 260 people on board.
Just two days later, a medical jet crashed into a neighborhood in Philadelphia, killing all six people on board, including a young girl and her mother.
After the 2008 crash, Barker sustained severe burns all over his body. He spent 11 weeks in the hospital and his recovery included 16 surgeries and numerous skin grafts. Barker has credited the crash with helping him overcome his addiction to painkillers. Goldstein, who suffered severe second- and third-degree burns on his arms and scalp, died a year later from a drug overdose.
In August 2021, Barker took his first flight since the tragedy, accompanying his then-girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian, her mother Kris Jenner and the Kardashian family matriarch’s boyfriend Corey Gamble on a trip to Cabo, Mexico, aboard Kylie Jenner’s private jet.
Barker and Kourtney tied the knot in May 2022 after a year of dating. In November 2023, the couple welcomed their first child together, son Rocky Thirteen Barker. Barker is also father to son Landon, 21, and daughter Alabama, 19, who he shares with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler. Kourtney shares sons Mason, 15, and Reign,10, and daughter Penelope, 12, with her ex, Scott Disick.
While speaking with Fox News Digital at the Run Travis Run event, Barker gushed about raising Rocky and noted that his baby boy is following in his musical footsteps.
WATCH: TRAVIS BARKER SAYS HIS AND KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’S BABY BOY ROCKY IS ‘COOLEST KID EVER’
“Baby Rocky is amazing,” he said. “Playing drums, guitar, walking and running everywhere. And he’s the best. He’s the coolest kid ever.”
The Grammy Award nominee also weighed in on the challenges and rewards of being a father to a 1-year-old.
“I think there’s nothing challenging about it,” he said. “The most rewarding is just starting my day and ending my day with my babies — the best — with all my kids, really. And that’s my goal to start my day with them and be able to say good night to everyone and kiss them good night.”
Barker also shared the secrets to his successful marriage with Kourtney.
“I think working out together is a big thing,” he said. “I think date night is awesome. And I think just being with someone that’s like your best friend is like, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Barker recently took the stage to perform with country star Jelly Roll at the star-studded FireAid mega-concert, which raised over $100 million for Los Angeles fire relief efforts and the disaster’s victims. Last month, a number of fires devastated several different areas in the county, resulting in 29 deaths and destroying nearly 17,000 structures.
In addition to being a part of the lineup at the FireAid concert, Barker is also using his Run Travis Run event to help with the fires’ aftermath. According to a press release for the event, all proceeds will be donated to the LAFD Foundation and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, which is helping incarcerated firefighters who battled the infernos.
WATCH: BLINK-182’S TRAVIS BARKER SHARES WHY HE BECAME A RUNNER AT HIS ‘RUN TRAVIS RUN’ EVENT
The “I Think I’m OKAY” hitmaker told Fox News Digital that he was “very grateful” that he, his family and their houses were “safe” during the fires.
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“LA was affected, you know? I mean, you guys all saw it,” he said. “So for me, doing anything I could for all the fire victims and our fire department.”
“That’s another reason why I’m doing this,” he said of Run Travis Run. “It was like an easy call for me.”
“And yeah, the energy that night was incredible,” Barker added of the FireAid concert.
In June 2024, Barker launched the run and wellness experience Run Travis Run, which he previously said was inspired by the healthy lifestyle that he embraced as he recovered from the injuries he sustained in the 2008 plane crash. In July, Barker and Kourtney hosted Run Travis Run events in LA and New York City, and the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” alum also accompanied her husband to the event in New Orleans.
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According to a press release, the New Orleans edition of Run Travis Run included “a scenic run through the iconic Audobon park, followed by an unforgettable Revival Zone featuring interactive activations, wellness experiences, and exclusive access to premium brands.”
Participants also receive a commemorative shirt, a custom medal and an all-access pass to the celebration.
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Barker reflected on how he became a runner.
“I just started running one day.” Honestly, it’s very similar to Forrest Gump,” he said, referencing the character played by Tom Hanks in the Academy Award-winning 1994 movie “Forrest Gump.” In the film, Hanks’ character earns fame when he spontaneously embarks on a three-year cross-country run.
“I just started running, like, 20 years ago, maybe 15 years ago,” Barker said. “It’s been about 20 years now, and I started running and boxing at the same time. And it was just like my outlet. It was kind of a form of meditation, and it also helped me keep my stamina, my endurance for drumming and doing some of the fitness stuff I love to do.”
“And just staying healthy,” he added. “Once I had kids, I had this urge to be as healthy as I could be.”
However, Barker admitted that he has sustained some injuries during training.
“I’ve actually been hurt a couple of times,” he said. “So, like with running, I think I overtrained a little bit after my last 5K. I tried to beat my record, which is a 20-minute 5K, and I didn’t and then I kind of got down on myself. I got harder on myself, and I was like, ‘I can run six miles a day’ and three miles into it, I hurt my hip.”
“So I think I’ve been running like a week and a half now again. But yeah, I’ll stay on the assault bike during that time or boxing.”
Despite being injured, Barker said that he was determined to keep running.
“I’m going to do this regardless, whether I’m here in a park with however many people, or I’m solo. I run three to five miles a day.”
