River Phoenix

Born: 1970-08-23 Metolius, Oregon USA

Died: 1993-10-31

River Jude Phoenix (August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an up-and-coming movie star when he died suddenly of drug-induced heart failure in 1993 at the age of 23. His brief career was marked by critically-acclaimed performances in films such as Stand by Me (1986), Running on Empty (1988) and Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho (1991, with Keanu Reeves). Phoenix was the eldest of five children whose itinerant parents were members of a radical Christian group called the Children of God (later known as The Family). His family lived in communes in Oregon, Texas, Puerto Rico and Venezuela before settling in Florida. Pursuing entertainment car ...