Samantha Mathis opens up about River Phoenix 25 years after he died from drug overdose
On October 30, 1993, River Phoenix, his girlfriend and actor Samantha Mathis, along with his siblings Leaf (now known as Joaquin) and Rain, went to the Viper Room, an LA club owned by Johnny Depp. Just 45 minutes after they reached the venue, the news of Phoenix's death due to a drug overdose spread like wildfire and shook the world. Now, 25 years later, Mathis opens up about what went down that night.
In an interview with The Guardian, Mathis revealed that she had first assumed that they were there just to drop off Phoenix's siblings. "But when we arrived he said to me: 'Oh, there are some people playing music tonight in the club who want me to play with them – that’s OK, right?'" she said.
“I think if River was still here, I think he’d be acting, directing, saving the environment, just living and hanging out. Oh gosh, wouldn't that be nice?” - Samantha Mathis (Oct. 2018) pic.twitter.com/TlfbeX6LkG
— The River Phoenix Gallery (@phoenixsgallery) October 25, 2018