The Untimely Death of River Phoenix
Having broken into the entertainment business with Seven Brides, River Phoenix made his feature-film debut as a nerdy smart kid in Explorers (1985). But it was the box-office success Stand By Me based on a Stephen King novella, that brought young River Phoenix to national prominence.The Mosquito Coast (1986), starring Harrison Ford as a man anxious to take his family back to a primitive and elemental life, was set in a Caribbean jungle. Its plot premise bore remarkable parallels to River Phoenix's unusual upbringing having been born in a log cabin in Oregon. River accepted his escalating success reluctantly, glad that at least it provided a way for him to help his family by being their breadwinner.
Unlike many rising actors, River was very shy and hated publicity. He disliked being involved in media hype. He once said, "I've kept my ego and my happiness completely separate from my work. in fact, if I see my face on the cover of a magazine I go into remission. I shut myself out and freak.
After roles in many successful pictures like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, My Own Private Idaho and Sneakers people began to notice major personality changes in River Phoenix, who was once so appreciated for his innocence and wholesomeness. He had been a strict vegetarian who wore no leather, and who cared so much about the diminished rain forest that he bought many acres of it in Costa Rica to save it from development. He was the celebrity who said, "I don't see any point or any good in drugs that are as disruptive as cocaine. I never tried heroin. I tried alcohol and most of the others when I was 15, and got it out of the way - finished with the stuff." Now all that had radically changed, and people began to wonder why.
Some thought River Phoenix's complete turnaround was due to a deep-seated animosity caused by the rough and tumble world of filmmaking. Others surmised it was his way of rebelling against his unusual childhood. Still others thought he was lost soul crushed by his own inner demons and would never kick his habit.
But eventually, in the 1990s, River Phoenix would abandon acting and return to Florida to live in Gainesville with his family. He would go on to form a band called Aleka's Attic with his sister Rain, in which he sang, played guitar, and wrote songs. He steadfastly stuck to his roots as an environmentalist and a dedicated animal rights activist.
In mid 1993, River Phoenix was in LA, working on a film called, Dark Blood, for Fine Line Features. He was also signed to star in Interview With a Vampire, With Tom Cruise. While in LA, he usually stayed at the St. James's Club and Hotel, on Sunset Boulevard.
On the evening of October 30th 1993, he went to The Viper Room, a club owned by Johnny Depp, at 8852 Sunset Boulevard. River was wearing striped brown pants and black and white Converse high tops and socks.A few minutes before 1:00 am, River Phoenix had been in the bathroom doing drugs with some drug dealer friends when someone offered him a snort of high-grade Persian Brown. Immediately upon snorting the drug he began trembling and shaking. He then screamed at his friend and vomited. Someone tried to help by giving him a Valium.
He then staggered back out into the bar and over to actress Samantha Mathis and his sister Rain. He complained that he could not breathe and then briefly passed out. When he awakened, he asked Mathis to take him outside of the bar. Mathis first called River's friend and assistant Abby, then Mathis and River's brother Joaquin took him outside. River Phoenix then proceeded to collapse on the sidewalk. He then started having seizures before a photographer, Ron Davis, went to call 911 at the nearby payphone, as did Joaquin. "He looked Rain Phoenixlike a fish out of water," said Ron Davis, who happened to be standing outside the club. He was "thrashing spasmodically, his head flopping from side to side, arms flailing wildly." By now Rain had come out and thrown herself on River to attempt to stop the seizures. River then became still,at which point Joaquin said he was not breathing. It was 1:14 a.m. He was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived and Paramedic Ray Ribar of the LA County Fire Department began to administer CPR. They rushed him to Cedars Sinai Medical Center where they arrived at 1:34. When they got there, his skin was dark blue, but his body was still warm. The ER physicians did everything to revive him, including inserting a pacemaker. He was pronounced dead at 1:51 am. on October 31, 1993.
Married With Children star Christina Applegate was at the club that night and witnessed the seizures, which she later reenacted at an anti-drug dance piece.River Phoenix's autopsy showed lethal levels of cocaine and morphine (heroin shows up as morphine, as the body metabolizes it), Valium, marijuana and ephedrine. Ephedrine is the main ingredient found in crystal meth. Official cause of death was Acute multiple drug ingestion. River Phoenix was 23 years old.
River Phoenix was placed in a blue coffin (click to view the River Phoenix Death Coffin Photo - warning extremely graphic!!!!!!), and on November 4, sixty mourners showed up at Milam Funeral Home for the viewing. His usual blonde hair was dyed black for the film he was working on. The mortician cut River's shoulder length hair, and placed the cut hair beside him in the coffin, at his mother's request.
He was dressed in a black t-shirt with the logo of his band, Aleka's Attic on it. His mother put a single carnation in the coffin. As mourners passed his coffin, many placed things like notes and necklaces in the casket.
There was a memorial service held on the Paramount Studios Lot on November 18th. Sidney Poitier, Rob Reiner, Richard Benjamin, John Boorman, Christine Lahti, Peter Bogdanovich and River's mother, Heart, attended it.
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