Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 1, 1993 TAG: 9311010133
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Friends reported that Phoenix was "acting strange" as he left the Viper Room in West Hollywood about 1 a.m., said sheriff's Deputy Diane Hecht.
Paramedics rushed the actor to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:51 a.m.
"At this time the cause of death is under investigation. The exact cause will be determined at autopsy by the coroner," Hecht said.
The autopsy will probably be performed today, she said. Sheriff's detectives were handling the case, as a matter of routine. "It's not a homicide investigation at this time," Hecht said.
Phoenix was filming the Phoenix movie "Dark Blood," which was nearly complete, said his publicist, Sue Patricola.
Phoenix, who also sang with the band Aleka's Attic, was to have appeared in the film version of novelist Anne Rice's "Interview With a Vampire."
A year after his 1985 film debut in "Explorers," Phoenix showed his star potential in "Stand by Me."
Phoenix portrayed Chris Chambers, the tough kid in a group of boyhood friends who learn about themselves when they find a corpse during a hike in the woods.
The actor's parents named him after the river of life in Herman Hesse's novel "Siddhartha." He spent most of his childhood in Venezuela with his siblings, Rainbow, Leaf, Liberty and Summer, while his parents became Children of God missionaries. The family legend has it that Phoenix began his performing career at age 5, singing with 3-year-old Rainbow on street corners in Caracas.
Phoenix once summed up his unusual early life in an interview:
"I think it helps you become versatile in adapting to new situations, new atmospheres, new people, just as you do when you go from film to film."
The family moved to Los Angeles when Phoenix was 10. He appeared in commercials before he was cast in the 1982 television series "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers."
Colleagues who had worked with Phoenix were stunned by the news. Unlike other 20-something stars branded with bad-boy and bad-girl images, Phoenix was described as the model of good health, clean living, and professional dedication. He would not eat meat or dairy products or wear leather.
Naomi Foner, screenwriter of "Running on Empty," said Phoenix was so committed to his lifestyle that "he turned down lucrative commercials for jeans that had leather pieces on the back pockets."
Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actor for that 1988 movie.
by CNB