River Phoenix: Religious Cults, Deadly Speedballs, and a Disappearing Act

River Phoenix was a once in a generation actor. His death shocked Hollywood and is still hard for many to accept. His deadly drug overdose has never been fully explained, but his back story—born into a religious cult, steeped in immersive movie role research, constantly toying with his famous identity—does explain the big talent he brought to the screen and the big heart he brought into the world. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com . There's more about River Phoenix coming to your feed on Thursday in the After Party bonus episode. We want to know: Who do you think is the greatest actor of the 1990s? Why? Let us know and join the party at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod. Purchase Tickets for Disgraceland's Special Live Stream Event on Oct. 9, 2024: https://www.moment.co/disgraceland/disgraceland-we-are-not-alone-music-wont-save-us-but-tom-delonge-might To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership . Visit www.disgracelandpod.com/merch to see the latest Disgraceland merch! Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter) Facebook Fan Group To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices