The night before Halloween in 1993, actor River Phoenix, his hair cut short and dyed dark for his latest movie role, walked into The Viper Room, the Los Angeles night club partly owned by Johnny Depp, with his younger siblings, sister Rain and brother Leaf (later known as Joaquin), and his girlfriend, actress Samantha Mathis.
“I knew something was wrong that night, something I didn’t understand,” Mathis recalled to The Guardian in 2018. “I didn’t see anyone doing drugs, but he was high in a way that made me feel uncomfortable – I was in way over my head.”
Less than one hour later, Phoenix, who at just 23 years old had already starred in 12 movies and had scored an Oscar nomination, was being dragged out of the club doors.
“They dumped him on the sidewalk on his back,” celebrity photographer Ron Davis told the Los Angeles Times at the time. “He was seizuring so badly he looked like a fish out of water.”
Joaquin, then 19, made a panicked 911 call, which was later leaked to the press. “He’s having seizures!” he shouted. “Get over here please, please, because he’s dying, please.” By the time the ambulance arrived, he was in full cardiac arrest and was officially pronounced dead at 1.51am.
An autopsy report revealed that the Stand by Me star had died of “an acute multiple drug intoxication” and that “lethal levels” of cocaine and heroin were found in his body as well as traces of Valium and marijuana.
The news shocked fans who had fallen in love with the gentle-souled star, famous for his passion for environmentalism, humanitarianism and his vegan lifestyle.
“I drank a Diet Coke once, and he was furious with me,” said actress Christine Lahti, who worked with Phoenix in the 1988 film Running on Empty. “He was so adamant about clean, pure living.”
Phoenix’s publicist, Sue Patricola, was more forthcoming. “People talk about him having such a clean life. I think that’s not right … He was not into killing things, not for food, not for clothes. But that was it … He didn’t die from carrot juice,” she told The Washington Post weeks after the tragedy.
“This place, Los Angeles, is poison, especially for someone who’s grown up in an isolated part of the world – in an idealistic world – and then comes here. This place is too much. We’re a town of excess.”
Phoenix was born in Oregon, but spent many of his formative years on the move, travelling to Texas, Mexico and Venezuela with his parents, who were missionaries for the controversial religious movement the Children of God. Eventually, they left the sect and landed in California, where at age 8, Phoenix began working in the entertainment industry – with four of his siblings soon following suit.
Phoenix landed TV commercials, followed by a stint on TV’s Seven Bridges for Seven Brothers in 1982, and made his film debut in 1985’s Explorers alongside Ethan Hawke.
“He was the brightest light, and this industry chewed him up, and that was a big lesson to me,” Hawke later reflected to The Guardian. “If I had to put a single reason on why I never moved to LA, it would be I think it’s too dangerous for an actor like me to be in that kind of climate.”
River’s breakout role came in 1986 with Stand by Me. “He’s got tremendous warmth. He’s obviously been loved quite a bit,” the film’s director Rob Reiner told People magazine around the time of the film’s release.
“His parents have somehow managed to maintain what was pure and good about the ’60s morality and make it work. When kids are talented and become successful, you never know if they’re going to make the right judgements. Knowing his family, I give River a good shot.”
Sadly, fans, friends and family can only imagine a less tragic ending for the star. “I think if River was still here, I think he’d be acting, directing, saving the environment, just living and hanging out,” Mathis continued to The Guardian. “Oh gosh, wouldn’t that be nice?”
River Phoenix’s Movies
Explorers (1985)
Explorers, a film starring River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke, follows a boy obsessed with ’50s sci-fi movies about aliens. After he has a recurring dream about a blueprint of some kind, he draws it for his inventor friend and they build a spaceship.
Rent it now on Apple TV or Amazon Prime
Stand By Me (1986)
Stand by Me is a coming-of-age film directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King’s novella The Body. Set in the 1950s, it follows the journey of four young friends – Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern – as they embark on a quest to find the body of a missing teenager. Along the way, they face challenges from the wilderness and their personal lives, forging a deep bond and experiencing personal growth.
Rent it now on Apple TV or Amazon Prime
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Paul Theroux and stars Harrison Ford as Allie Fox, an inventor disillusioned with American consumerism and concerned about the direction of the country. He relocates his family to the jungles of Central America to build a utopian society. The story follows their struggles and adventures as they navigate the challenges of the wilderness, local politics, and their father’s increasingly erratic behaviour.
Stream it now on Apple TV
Running on Empty (1988)
Running on Empty is a 1988 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring River Phoenix as Danny Pope, a young man whose family is constantly on the run from the law due to his parent’s involvement in anti-Vietnam War activities. Portrayed by Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti, the parents grapple with their commitment to political activism while trying to protect their children.
Stream it now on Binge.
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
My Own Private Idaho is a 1991 independent drama film directed by Gus Van Sant. The movie stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as two friends, Mike Waters and Scott Favor, who are both street hustlers and narcoleptics. Mike is searching for his estranged mother, while Scott is the estranged son of a wealthy mayor. The film follows their adventures and the dynamics of their complex, unconventional friendship as they travel across the Pacific Northwest, engaging in various hustles and encounters with different people.
Rent it now on Apple TV or Amazon Prime
This Thing Called Love (1993)
Miranda, an aspiring musician, relocates to Nashville to pursue her dream. After getting a job waiting tables at the renowned Bluebird cafe, she meets other aspiring singer-songwriters but complications arise when two of her new friends end up falling in love with her.
Stream it now on Binge.
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