Rain Phoenix, River Phoenix’s sister, paid a touching tribute to the late actor on what would have been his 54th birthday.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the singer and actress shared a series of pictures and quotes from the Stand by Me Star. She captioned the post – for her song “Immolate”, which includes lyrics like “I’m gonna hold on to love / ‘Cause it’s the only way out” – with “Happy Birthday River 🩵”.
The carousel of photos mostly features quotes about Rivers’ commitment to various humanitarian causes, including environmental protection, LGBTQ+ equality and plant-based eating. “If I gain some fame, I hope I can use that to make a difference,” one quote reads. “The real social reward is that I can speak my mind and share my thoughts about the environment and civilization itself.”
Another excerpt reads: “We’re all worth it, man. We’re all worth millions of planets and stars and galaxies and universes.”
River died of a drug overdose on October 31, 1993 at the age of 23. Although he was a young actor whose star was just on the rise, he was already nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Running on reserve. His most famous performances include Rob Reiners Stand by Me to Kiefer Sutherland, The Mosquito Coast with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren and the Gus Van Sant film My own private Idaho with Keanu Reeves.
Various actors and their loved ones commented on the post, including his friend, founding member and bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea, who accompanied River to the hospital after the actor collapsed in the Viper Room. “Happy birthday, beautiful,” he wrote.
Dermot Mulroney, who was at his side in 1993 The thing called lovecommented: “Happy Birthday River – my inspiration ❤️ .”
The rock band Garbage wrote: “He was a beautiful angel. Too good for this world. đź–¤”
