River Phoenix’s sister Rain has shared a heartbreaking tribute to the late actor on what would have been his 54th birthday, as his friend Flea also paid tribute
River Phoenix, the ‘Stand by Me’ actor who tragically died from a drug overdose at just 23 in 1993, has been fondly remembered by his sister Rain Phoenix on what would have been his 54th birthday.
Rain, 51, took to Instagram to share a series of nostalgic photos of her late brother, including several quotes attributed to him, simply captioning the post: “Happy Birthday River.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, 61, who was with River on the fateful night he collapsed outside The Viper Room nightclub in Los Angeles and accompanied him to the hospital, commented on Rain’s tribute post, saying: “Happy birthday most beautiful one.”
River was the eldest of the five Phoenix siblings, which includes Oscar-winning ‘Joker’ actor Joaquin, 49, Liberty, 48, Summer, 45, and Rain herself.
The Phoenix family spent their early years travelling as missionaries for the Children of God before settling in California in the late 1970s after leaving the religious group. It was here that River began his acting career.
His first feature film was ‘Explorers’ in 1985, but it was his role in ‘Stand by Me’ a year later that catapulted him to fame. The film, a coming-of-age tale about a group of high school kids searching for a dead body, was based on the Stephen King story ‘The Body’.
River earned an Oscar nomination in 1988 for his performance in ‘Running on Empty’ and played a young Indiana Jones in the 1989 film ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’.
On the tragic night of River’s death on 31 October, 1993, both Rain and Joaquin were present. Joaquin made the desperate 911 call while Rain attempted to revive her brother with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
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