“When River came in to audition, it was obvious that he was just an amazing, amazing talent,” said director Rob Reiner. River Phoenix's role in 'Stand by Me' drew critical acclaim. Having worked with directors such as Steven Spielberg, Gus Van Sant and Sidney Lumet, River left behind a body of work that, while revered by established actors, is also a veritable playbook for new ones.Īnd it was his turn as Chris Chambers in the 1986 film Stand By Me that garnered the then-16-year-old River global attention. on his way to The Viper Room.” Burdened by being the breadwinner “I walked back up the stairs and back down, and I was like, ‘Where did he go?’ And he was. And then the crowd got in my way, and I looked back and he was gone. It was almost like something you would see in Vertigo, because I saw there was something in his face, and I'd never met him – always wanted to meet him, always wanted to just have an encounter with him – and he was walking toward me and I kind of froze. 'And one night, at a party in Silver Lake, I saw him walk up a flight of stairs.

'I grew up revering River Phoenix as the great actor of my generation, and all I ever wanted was to have just an opportunity to shake his hand,' DiCaprio told Esquire. With his long, floppy hair and his fervent belief in environmental and animal rights activism, his passion for music – his band, Aleka's Attic, also featured his sister, Rain – made him an anachronism that's hard to appreciate by today's standards when every young star is not only 'woke' but also a triple threat. Slotting in perfectly between the legacy of James Dean, who also died tragically young, at the age of 24, and Leonardo DiCaprio whose Hollywood star would rise just after him, River was, for many, the most beautiful actor of his generation. 'I'm not just saying that now – I said that before he died. Is the best of the young guys,' said Brad Pitt about River, some years after his death. Getty Leonardo DiCaprio: ‘He was the great actor of my generation’ The actor was nominated for an Oscar for 1998's 'Running on Empty'. And there's no denying his was a celebrity death that defined Generation X. 'A symbol of restless youth, encumbered with more talent and beauty than he knew what to do with, coming to an abrupt, early end,' Gavin Edwards, author of Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind, wrote about the troubled star who had hidden his drug use from his fans. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, his cause of death listed as 'acute multiple drug intoxication'. No one knew until River flatlined in the street before the paramedics arrived. No one really knew what was happening, including Depp who was performing onstage at the time. No one took photos the way they would today. “He’s 23 … Please, because he’s dying, please.” “He’s having seizures on Sunset and Larrabee, please come here,” he sobbed as the dispatcher appealed for him to stay calm. When he died at the age of 23 on October 31, 1993, there was only one confirmation – the leaked 911 call made by a frantic 19-year-old Joaquin trying desperately to save his brother, who was convulsing on the pavement outside Johnny Depp's LA club, The Viper Room.

Before the ubiquitousness of the LA paparazzi. A symbol of restless youth, encumbered with more talent and beauty than he knew what to do withīut River died before YouTube, before Twitter and Instagram and hashtags.

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