River Phoenix's Autopsy Report Has Some Heartbreaking Details

"Stand By Me" star River Phoenix joined the list of celebrities who died before age 30 at the height of his career on Halloween night in 1993. According to the Los Angeles Times, River, who was 23 at the time, had been enjoying an evening out at a Hollywood nightclub called the Viper Room when he started having seizures and eventually collapsed. River's brother, actor Joaquin Phoenix, who was also present at the club, was the person who eventually called 911 after River went unconscious. Unfortunately, medical officials at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center were unable to save River, who'd suffered from cardiac arrest.

Joaquin's tragic 911 call was released shortly after River's death. In it, the star, who was 19 at the time, could be heard pleading with the 911 operator to hurry up and send help for his brother. "Yeah, he's having seizures on Sunset and Larrabee, please come here," said Joaquin (via Inside Edition). "Okay, I'm calm, but he's having seizures. Get over here please," he continued, after the operator urged him to calm down. Joaquin could also be heard telling the operator what medication he thought River had taken. "Okay, now, I think he's had Valium or something, I don't know." He added, "Please, 'cause he's dying, please."

Unfortunately, River's heartbreaking autopsy report has since revealed that he also had other substances in his system at the time of his death.

River Phoenix indeed had Valium in his system, but it wasn't what killed the beloved celebrity. According to a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, "acute multiple drug intoxication ... lethal levels of cocaine and morphine" caused River's untimely passing (via Los Angeles Times). "I was told that the cocaine and morphine (levels) were both high enough that either would have been lethal by itself," added Scott Carrier, who also worked for the L.A. Coroner's Office. Marijuana and ephedrine were also present in River's system. Elsewhere, Carrier was unable to state with certainty the manner in which River used the substances. "We don't believe (they were) injected. There were no tracks found on his person," he said, adding that inhalation or ingestion were possible methods.

As the news circulated, Sergeant Mike Lee from the L.A. Sheriff's Office stated that the person who gave River the substances was looking at potential murder charges. "Even if Phoenix took [the cocaine and heroin] voluntarily, the person who supplied the drugs would be the target of a second-degree murder case," said Lee (via The Washington Post). "It will be a matter of if people come forward and do the right thing." However, he wasn't hopeful about that outcome. "But for some reason, in these situations people who know often turn around and defend the person who supplied it. Because they just want it to go away."

To this day, no one has ever been charged.