River Phoenix died of an accidental drug overdose in 1993

Published: March 02, 2020

Actor River Phoenix passed away on October 31, 1993. He was 23 years old. River was reported to have died of a lethal drug overdose of heroin and cocaine, the combination of which is often referred to as a speedball shot.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office stated his cause of death as an acute multiple drug ingestion. It was reported in the media that an acquaintance administered him the speedball after which he collapsed. The coroner’s office, however, said in a statement to the press that the investigations into Phoenix’s death found no evidence of a foul play. The investigator  claimed “no foul play was involved,” the New York Times reported.

According to the media reports, Phoenix’s autopsy showed no needle marks through which the speedball might have been injected. The spokesperson for the coroner’s office said: “There were no needle marks. Maybe it was ingested, maybe it was inhaled. How it was introduced into his body is unknown.”

Following the investigation reports, the County Coroner’s office and the examiner said: “No evidence of foul play is suspected by them at this point in their investigation. So with that in mind, we determined this to be an accidental death.”

River’s death at the young age of 23 outside of Los Angeles nightclub The Viper Room sent shockwaves across the globe. Friends, family, colleagues and fans were shocked that that young actor, whose career was on the rise, would die so shockingly. River’s younger brother Joaquin dialed 911 after the actor was collapsed and convulsing on the sidewalk for a reported eight minutes.

The actor, who had a clean public image mainly due to his activism, had eventually succumbed to taking drugs. A reported abuse incident in his childhood is allegedly to blame.

A spokesperson for River Phoenix was quoted by the Associate Press as saying: “Hopefully it’s a wake-up call to the world.”

Expecting the investigation reports to be edifying for others, especially for the youth, she said, “It leaves you to question why are young people compelled to do this. If any good can come from this death, it can come from saving someone’s life.”

River Jude Phoenix was an American film actor and musician. He made his appearances in many films including ‘Stand By Me’, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ and ‘My Own Private Idaho’. He was an eminent animal rights activist and was also a spokesperson for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

River’s younger brother Joaquin has battled addictions.

Other celebrities with addictions include Johnny Cash, Drew Barrymore, Lindsay Lohan and Mickey Rourke, to name only a few.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:River_Phoenix.jpg; Photo by Alan Light

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Published March 02, 2020 by David in Celebrities
Tags: addiction, death, drugs, Joaquin Phoenix, River Phoenix