What was the cause of the death of actor River Phoenix?

River Jude Phoenix (August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor and musician. Phoenix was the older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix. His first notable role came in 1986's "Stand by Me", followed by "Running on Empty" (1988), in a well-received performance that earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and "My Own Private Idaho".

On October 30, 1993, Phoenix arrived at "The Viper Room", a Hollywood nightclub partly owned by Johnny Depp, with his brother Joaquin and sister Rain. Phoenix was to perform with the band P. The band featured Phoenix's friends Flea and John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

According to Bob Forrest, during the performance by P, Phoenix tapped him on the shoulder to tell him he was not feeling well and that he thought he had overdosed. Forrest said to Phoenix that he did not think that he was overdosing because he could stand and talk. A commotion erupted in the club and Forrest went outside to find Phoenix was lying on the sidewalk having convulsions. Unable to determine whether Phoenix was breathing, Joaquin called 911 while Rain did CPR.

When the ambulance arrived, Phoenix was still alive, he was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Attempts to resuscitate Phoenix at the hospital were unsuccessful. He died at 1:51 a.m. PDT on the morning of October 31, 1993, aged 23.

The cause was a combined drug intoxication having overdosed on cocaine and heroin (commonly known as speedball).