15 Shocking Facts About River Phoenix

River Phoenix spent part of his childhood in a religious group called the Children of God, which later became notorious for widespread abuse. His parents eventually broke with the group and returned to the US, but the impact of those years stayed with him throughout his life.

Phoenix was a dedicated vegan and spoke out against animal cruelty from a young age. He refused to wear leather or fur, supported PETA and used his platform to raise awareness about animal rights.

When the Phoenix family returned to the US, they had very little money. River and his siblings performed music on the street to earn money, which is how their talent was noticed and led to acting careers.

Joaquin Phoenix, later famous for Joker, was River's younger brother. The two were very close, and River encouraged Joaquin to act. Joaquin was with him on the night River died and made the frantic 911 call.

After his breakthrough in Stand by Me (1986), River Phoenix became a teen heartthrob, but he wasn't comfortable with the media attention. He saw himself as a serious actor, which he proved with an Oscar nomination for Running on Empty (1988).

Although he was known as a 'clean', health-conscious actor, Phoenix became increasingly involved with drugs in his final years. Some friends and family knew about his problems but couldn't stop him.

On 31 October 1993, River Phoenix collapsed and died on the sidewalk outside The Viper Room, a Los Angeles club then co-owned by Johnny Depp. He died of an overdose of a mix of drugs including heroin and cocaine. His death became one of Hollywood's most shocking tragedies.

That night River reportedly told friends inside the club that he didn't feel well and went outside for air, where he collapsed and suffered seizures on the sidewalk.

When River collapsed, Joaquin called emergency services in a panic. The recording of his call was later broadcast by the media around the world, which deeply hurt the family and is often cited as one of the most exploitative moments in entertainment journalism.

Many in the film industry saw Phoenix as a future Marlon Brando or James Dean, and his death left a huge void. It became a sobering warning for a generation of young actors about the dangers of Hollywood excess.

At the time of his death, River Phoenix was about to begin filming Interview with the Vampire (1994) as the interviewer. The role eventually went to Christian Slater, who donated his fee to charities River had supported.

River and Keanu Reeves became close after working together on My Own Private Idaho (1991). Keanu has spoken warmly about River in interviews over the years and clearly still misses him.

Joaquin Phoenix has always said he will never forget his brother, and in his 2020 Oscar speech he quoted a lyric River wrote when he was 17. The Phoenix family continues to support causes River believed in.

River had a long relationship with actress Martha Plimpton, which ended partly because of his drug use. On the night of his death he was with his then-girlfriend, actress Samantha Mathis, who was with him when he collapsed.

Despite his struggles with drugs, Phoenix remained an activist all his life. He supported animal rights, environmental causes and humanitarian projects, including buying rainforest land to protect it. He is remembered as someone who wanted to change Hollywood but was ultimately destroyed by it.