RETRO SUNDAY- part 2

On a more serious note, I was discussing the beautiful River Phoenix with a couple of new readers of 'the hollow'yesterday, (Penelope and Liz you know who you are), and we were trying to recall the exact details of the last night of River's life. so a morbid retro sunday today, not the celebration of River's life, but the surroundings of his far too early leaving of this planet.

The star of an all time fave film of mine, STAND BY ME, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO and THE THING CALLED LOVE, died at the age of 23, on October 31 1993, outside the Viper Room in LA. The Viper Room was then part owned by Johnny Depp and thus was a very cool Hollywood hangout for the famous and infamous. (our very own Jase D collapsed at this very club!) River who had been living a fairly clean life and worked tirelessly as an activist for animal rights and the environment, had turned to drugs. Some say it was rebellion for his rather strange upbringing in a cult, others, just that his sensitive soul could not cope with the pressures of Hollywood.

So on the fateful night, River was hanging out at the club, supposedly going to get on stage with his mates from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and sing a song, his first passion. He was there with his brother Joaquin, sister Rain, his then girlfriend Samantha Mathis (his costar from THE THING CALLED LOVE), and his friend FLEA FROM RHCP, Johnny Depp's band were gigging on stage and Christina Applegate was in the audience, and River goes into the toilets and takes some crazy mix of heroin and cocaine, which makes him feel unwell, he leaves the club and starts convulsing. Rain is there trying to throw herself on top of him to stop the convulsing, Joaquin, called 911 (can you believe you can actually listen to this call on the internet). He never revived and was later pronounced dead at the Cedars Sinai hospital! Sadly, there is a photo available of River in his casket, taken by some sleazy photograher and sold for $1M.

Johnny Depp closed the Viper Room every year on October 31 until his ownership ended in 2004.

Such a sad crazy loss, I can't imagine the talent we have missed out on. Interestingly, Leonardo picked up a couple of roles that River had signed on for. The world works in funny ways!

So it's a sad one today, but i hope to have helped the ladies out with the facts.