Following several days of binging on cocaine and heroin, 23-year-old actor River Phoenix collapsed outside Hollywood's Viper Room nightclub right in front of his brother, sister, and girlfriend on October 31, 1993.
Few movie stars of the early 1990s were as beloved as River Phoenix. A talented actor and musician who had made a splash in films like Stand By Me and My Own Private Idaho, he seemed destined for great things. But River Phoenix died tragically on Oct. 31, 1993, at the age of just 23.
Getty ImagesBefore the untimely death of River Phoenix, he had been struggling with cocaine and heroin abuse.
By then, few people knew that Phoenix used drugs. He’d become a household name at the age of 16 after appearing in Stand By Me, and, to the outside, seemed like a promising young star on the rise. Phoenix followed Stand By Me with Running on Empty, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Harrison Ford.
But Phoenix’s close friends had watched with alarm as his drug use increased. He seemed different; his face was gray. Even Phoenix seemed to sense that he needed to take a step back from drugs and drinking, and he reportedly stayed sober for two months while filming the movie Dark Blood in Utah and New Mexico in 1993. But his sobriety wouldn’t last.
When Phoenix returned to Los Angeles in late October 1993, he almost immediately went on a “massive” drug binge. Tragically, this would culminate in his death outside the notorious Viper Room nightclub.
On Oct. 31, Phoenix went to the nightclub with his brother Joaquin, his sister Rain, and his girlfriend Samantha Mathis. During the night, he took a fatal cocktail of drugs that included cocaine and morphine. And as a bouncer escorted him out of the club in the early hours of the morning, Phoenix dropped to the ground and started going into convulsions.
Though his loved ones called 911, it was already too late. River Phoenix died at 1:51 a.m. that morning, just two months after his 23rd birthday.
River Phoenix’s Early Life And Meteoric Rise To Fame
Wikimedia CommonsRiver Phoenix and his younger brother Joaquin, pictured in the early 1980s.
Childhood And Upbringing
Despite his untimely death, River Phoenix left a huge mark on the world — not only as a talented actor but also as a passionate animal rights activist and environmentalist. But before Phoenix entered Hollywood, his early life was a humble one — and quite unconventional.
Born River Jude Bottom on August 23, 1970, Phoenix spent his first days on a farm in Oregon. But he didn’t stay there for long. His parents — John Lee Bottom and Arlyn Dunetz — were known for their nomadic lifestyle and financial instability. So they moved around quite a bit with their baby son.
As the oldest of five children — including Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix — River had perhaps the most bohemian childhood of them all. Unfortunately, his childhood was also full of trauma.
Columbia PicturesRiver Phoenix in Stand By Me, the 1986 movie that helped make him a star.
In 1972, River Phoenix’s parents decided to join the Children of God cult. Led by David Berg, the group would later become infamous for its widespread sexual abuse — especially of children. And while the Phoenix family reportedly left before the abuse became rampant, River later said that he was raped at the age of four while his family was still active in the cult.
While working as missionaries for the controversial group, the family shuttled between Texas, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. As for River, he often played guitar and sang on the streets for money. As a young entertainer, he was also expected to pass out information about the Children of God group — around the same time when he was allegedly enduring horrific abuse.
By 1978, Phoenix’s parents had grown disillusioned with the group and returned to the United States. They soon changed their last name to Phoenix, converted to veganism, and moved to California.
Breakthrough In Hollywood
In California, River Phoenix started to build a career in Hollywood. After appearing in commercials, he also booked roles on TV shows like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Hotel, and Family Ties, and made his film debut in Explorers. But Phoenix’s big break came with the 1986 movie Stand By Me.
Then, Phoenix appeared alongside Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell as four friends who set out to try to find the body of a missing boy. The film earned rave reviews, and put Phoenix on the map as a serious actor. He followed Stand By Me with 1988’s Running On Empty, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and 1991’s My Own Private Idaho.
River Phoenix was increasingly seen as one of Hollywood’s brightest new stars. But his growing fame hid an inner turmoil.
Fame And Personal Challenges
To the outside world, River Phoenix seemed like an actor unaffected by fame and commited to clean living. An environmentalist, animal rights activist, and practicing vegan, he told an interviewer at the 1989 Academy Awards that it wasn’t hard for him to avoid getting caught up in the “Hollywood hoopla.” But the truth was that acting and the fame that came with it came with a cost.
After Stand By Me, Phoenix said: “I identified so much with the role of Chris Chambers that if I hadn’t had my family to go back to after the shoot, I’d have probably had to see a psychiatrist.” And after River Phoenix’s death, his mother remarked: “As River grew, he did become more and more uncomfortable being the poster boy for all good things. He often said he wished he could just be anonymous. But he never was. When he wasn’t a movie star, he was a missionary. There’s a beauty in that – the man with the cause, the leader – but there’s also a deep loneliness.”
Phoenix may have looked like a poster boy to the outside world. But in his final years, his close friends watched with alarm as he increasingly turned to alcohol and drugs.
The Downward Spiral That Preceded Phoenix’s Death
The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesRiver Phoenix (left) with Liza Minnelli (right) in 1991.
Struggles With Substance Abuse
During the making of Phoenix’s film Sneakers between October 1991 and March 1992, some of River Phoenix’s friends became concerned about his drug use. Phoenix was staying at the L.A. home of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael “Flea” Balzary, where he had unlimited access to drugs.
According to Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind by Gavin Edwards, Phoenix’s former tutor Dirk Drake expressed his concern about drugs to Phoenix, who brushed him off. Phoenix’s Sneakers co-star, Dan Aykroyd, also tried unsuccessfully to deter Phoenix from using heroin, and publicist Jim Dobson recalled that drug use had seemingly changed Phoenix’s physical appearance.
“He was 100 percent different,” Dobson told Edwards. “He’d gone from a cute, well-groomed kid to someone who wouldn’t bathe, and his face was very gray. We all assumed he was on drugs.”
But the outside world didn’t see that. Around the same time, in 1992, PETA presented Phoenix with its Humanitarian of the Year Award.
The Events Leading Up To His Final Night
In the months leading up to River Phoenix’s death, his friends had multiple interventions to try and stop his drinking and drug abuse. According to Drake, these didn’t have any effect.
However, Phoenix seemed to accept that he had a problem. While filming the movie Dark Blood in Utah and New Mexico in 1993, he reportedly stayed sober for two months. But his sobriety wouldn’t last.
Scala Productions/Sluizer FilmsRiver Phoenix in his last film, Dark Blood, which was released nearly 20 years after his death.
Because Phoenix wasn’t needed for a certain night shoot that October, director George Sluizer allowed him to return to California. “I’m going back to the bad, bad town,” Phoenix said.
He returned to Los Angeles on October 26, 1993. According to his friend Bob Forrest, Phoenix then went on a massive drug binge with John Frusciante, the guitarist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“[River] stayed with John for the next few days, and probably didn’t get a minute of sleep,” Forrest wrote in his book Running with Monsters. “The drug routine stayed pretty consistent for all of us. First, smoke crack or shoot coke directly into a vein for that ninety-second, electric brain-bell jangle. Then shoot heroin to get a grip and come down enough to be able to carry on a conversation for a few minutes before you start the cycle again.”
Just days later, River Phoenix died of a massive overdose at the Viper Room.
The Tragic Story Of How River Phoenix Died
Flickr/Francisco AntunesThe Viper Room in West Hollywood. River Phoenix died just outside the nightclub.
What Happened At The Viper Room
On the night of October 30, 1993, Phoenix and his girlfriend Samantha Mathis arrived at The Viper Room, a club partly owned by Johnny Depp. Two of Phoenix’s siblings, Joaquin and Rain, were also in attendance. While Joaquin and Rain didn’t notice anything unusual, Mathis had a feeling that something was off with River.
“I knew something was wrong that night, something I didn’t understand,” she toldThe Guardian in 2018. “I didn’t see anyone doing drugs but he was high in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.”
Indeed, Phoenix had taken drugs. And as the night wore on, he began to feel off. According to his friend Forrest, Phoenix approached him while Depp’s band was performing in the club.
Forrest recalled that Phoenix looked like a “whiter shade of pale” and that he told him: “Bob, I don’t feel so good. I think I’m OD-ing.”
But Forrest told Phoenix that if he could stand and talk, he was probably ok.
Phoenix then went to the bathroom at some point around 1 a.m. There, he started shaking so much that others in the club started splashing him with cold water.
Soon afterward, Mathis saw a bouncer shoving Phoneix and another man out the door. At first, she thought the two men were fighting, but then she saw Phoenix drop to the ground — and go into convulsions.
River Phoenix’s Death Scene
Frightened, Mathis ran back into the club to get Phoenix’s siblings. Joaquin then made a heart-wrenching 911 call, which was later leaked to the press. “He’s having seizures!” he shouted. “Get over here please, please, ’cause he’s dying, please.” Joaquin also told 911 that he thought that his brother had had “Valium or something.”
Meanwhile, Rain tried to stop her brother from thrashing around. She lay down on top of him and tried to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as Phoenix had seizures on the sidewalk.
Sadly, he was beyond help. Though he was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, River Phoenix died at 1:51 a.m. on October 31, 1993. He was 23 years old.
River Phoenix’s Cause Of Death
Roughly two weeks later, River Phoenix’s cause of death was revealed. The Los Angeles County coroner found that River Phoenix died of “acute multiple drug intoxication.” He had fatal amounts of cocaine and morphine in his system, as well as marijuana, Valium, and over-the-counter cold medicine.
River Phoenix’s death was ruled an accident. And the world was left reeling with the tragedy of his passing.
The Legacy Of River Phoenix’s Death
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesTributes at The Viper Room honoring River Phoenix the day after his death in 1993.
The Impact On Hollywood And His Family
After River Phoenix’s death, The Viper Room temporarily closed in his honor. Heartbroken fans flocked to the venue to leave flowers and handwritten tributes to the fallen actor. But the nightclub reopened shortly thereafter and, according to one clubgoer, soon returned to its wild ways.
But those who knew Phoenix deeply mourned his passing.
Harrison Ford, who had worked with Phoenix in The Mosquito Coast and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade called River Phoenix’s death “terribly sad.”
“He played my son once, and I came to love him like a son, and was proud to watch him grow into a man of such talent and integrity and compassion,” Ford said in a statement. “We will all miss him.”
Phil Alden Robinson, who directed Sneakers, told The New York Times, “He was enormously talented. He cared deeply about his craft. He loved to take chances. He loved to dig deeper and push harder. He was an extraordinarily honest actor.”
But of course, those most affected by the death of River Phoenix were his devastated family members. His brother Joaquin recalled having a difficult time grieving, as the paparazzi often harassed the bereaved family.
“Certainly, for me, it felt like it impeded the mourning process, right?” Joaquin said, adding that he soon began to think of his late brother as the ultimate inspiration for his own acting career. “I feel like in virtually every movie that I made, there was a connection to River in some way. And I think that we’ve all felt his presence and guidance in our lives in numerous ways.”
For those who’ve followed Joaquin Phoenix’s career, it’s no secret how closely he holds his older brother’s memory. After winning the Oscar for Best Actor at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020, the Joker star offered a tribute to his late sibling during a touching speech:
“When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said: ‘Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.'”
Changes In Hollywood’s Perception Of Drug Use
River Phoenix’s death had other profound impacts as well. Leonardo DiCaprio, then an up-and-coming actor himself, had crossed paths with Phoenix on the night he died.
“I wanted to reach out and say hello because he was this great mystery and we’d never met,” DiCaprio recalled. “Then I got stuck in a lane of traffic and slid right past him.” But while he wasn’t able to talk to Phoenix, he did get a look at his face: “He was beyond pale — he looked white.”
DiCaprio ended up taking two roles that had been intended for Phoenix: The Basketball Diaries and Total Eclipse. And, according to Stand By Me director Rob Reiner, DiCaprio stayed away from drugs because of what happened to River Phoenix.
YouTubeThis memorial in Arcadia, California was dedicated by Iris Burton — the talent agent who discovered Phoenix.
Remembering River Phoenix
Though nearly three decades have passed since River Phoenix’s death, it’s clear that his memory lives on. Multiple movies and documentaries have been made about him, notably My Own Private River in 2011.
And Phoenix remains an idol for many young actors. Leonardo DiCaprio, Heath Ledger, and even Timothee Chalamet have all been compared to River Phoenix. Decades after his death, he’s still seen as a rare kind of movie star, the sort the only come around once in a generation.
After learning about River Phoenix’s death, read about the tragic demise of Amy Winehouse. Then, take a look at the mystery of Natalie Wood’s death.
