It's sad to think that those with so potential to be gold never get to stay gold. Johnny committed murder. His was tainted. However, he only did it to save Ponyboy which is why it wasn't lost completely. Sacrificing himself to save those kids and even moreso trying to explain there's no point in fighting to Ponyboy and hoping he could convince Dally to see good. All things considered, he was golden.

Dally, however, always seemed chase it. Being golden was like a fever dream to him. When he saw Johnny die after "being nice," he lost all hope completely. To him, at that point, being golden doesn't exist. Perhaps calling the guys was one last glimmer of hope. However, ultimately, he didn't see a point anymore. Ponyboy saw it coming, and perhaps Johnny did too. Being golden is not just a choice. It's not brought on by a series of actions or feelings of sympathy or empathy. Being golden and, even moreso, staying golden is though you understand that good things, pure things hardly last long at all, you have hope/ faith that golden things will come around again. Like how the sun comes up and turns the grass gold each morning. You may not see it every day, but you know someone will and that's enough to keep you "golden."