In 1993, the world was shocked by the death of 23 year old actor River Phoenix outside the viper room. With the death of River Phoenix, the viper room gained an unwarranted bad reputation.
The following article is a tribute to River Phoenix, and an exploration of his life cut so tragically short.It has been 15 years since his demise, yet he is still as beloved by millions as he was during his incredible,short,life.
Beyond River Phoenix the actor, there is River Phoenix the man. He was born River Jude Bottom, and later in life those closest to him, affectionately called him Rio. Rio, for those who don't know is the spanish translation of River. One of the things Rio was best known for in life was his love of animals, many these days are criticized for being animal lovers, but Rio truly was.
When he was young, he lived in South America for a time, (According to Rio, this was a period pf his life he "blocked out" due to a traumatic event at age 4.) One might wonder where he got the name Phoenix, it was the name his family chose when they left South America returning to the states. Phoenix is a mythological bird that,according to legend springs from ashes. I believe it was his family's way of saying "This is a new beginning."
River was known by all to be an extremely gentle,caring person, which is all the more reason the presumed cause of his death was such a shock. According to reports, he is said to have died of a "speedball" overdose.
Despite his manner of Death, I will always regard Rio as one of the greatest actors of our time.
My favorite of his films was "The Thing called Love".
