The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesRiver Phoenix (left) with Liza Minnelli (right) in 1991. Joaquin then made a heart-wrenching 911 call, which was later leaked to the press. 104 Reviews. The Viper Room officially opened in 1993. DeVille of Poison. People are coming out and laughing at me. Last Night at the Viper Room explores the young star's life, including his . Regular attendee and card aficionado, Houston Curtis tells it differently in his book,Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, as highlighted by the New York Post. The Creepiest LA Ghost Stories. The Viper Room is known for the drug-fueled debauchery that ensued inside its doors during the '90s. Other performers include Avril Lavigne, Neurotic Outsiders (featuring Duff McKagan, The Penfifteen Club, Steve Jones and John Taylor), Keanu Reeves (who performed there with his band Dogstar in 1997), The Cult, Slash, X, Julliette and the Licks, Concrete Blonde, Green Day, Courtney Love, Hole, Joey Ramone, Tenacious D,[19] and The Strokes. Prior to Phoenix's passing, the troubled actor allegedly went on adays-long drug binge with John Frusciante, the notorious drug-addicted guitarist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Last Night at the Viper Room tells the heart-shredding story of how this haunted actor left such a big impression in such a brief time." The night club's reputation has calmed in recent years aftershifting ownership and focusingon breaking underground talent rather than housing well-known rock stars like John Frusciante, who performed a bizarre, drug-fueled set in the '90s, and Queens of the Stone Age, who played for free after they already hit it big. In the weeks leading up to his death, River Phoenix had been filming the movie Dark Blood in Utah and New Mexico. Last Night at the Viper Room Audiobook - audiobookstore.com In 1995, alittle more than a year after River Phoenix died from an overdose outside of the infamous club, Johnny Depp threw a birthday party for his then-girlfriend Kate Moss. The Viper Room Halloween Death Site 1993 Daze with Jordan the Lion 202K views 6 years ago Messed Up Things That Happened At The Viper Room Grunge 652K views 8 months ago The Hollywood. Then, just a couple of years later, rock star Michael Hutchence played at the club mere days before he died by suicide. Courtesy of Luxigon. It is one of the oldest built remaining structures on the Sunset Strip. While predominantly known as a music venue, the Viper Room also hosts a lower level below the stage and audience area, which is home to a large whiskey bar. I went on a tour that went past the Viper Room at one point and the tour guide gave out tickets to the venue (I couldn't go because not 21 but kept the ticket). More from us:The Party Scene Before Social Media Candid Photos of Wild Early 90s Hollywood. It changed hands and took on various different incarnations over the years, including a stint as a strip club owned by mobster Mickey Cohen. Though tragic, River Phoenix's Viper Room death was just onemark on the property's sordid history, which includes cash-embezzling mobsters, mysterious disappearances, numerous drugoverdoses, and an illegal, multi-million dollar gambling ring. 8852 Sunset Blvd. Celebrities Connected to . A Haunted Los Angeles Hotspot! The Viper Room circa 2020. According to Dollar Times, that's the equivalent of more than $110,000 in 2021. A cop was sitting at a nearby red light and witnessed the whole thing. Little did the world know how much pressure he was putting on himself. I didnt see anyone doing drugs but he was high in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. Just a couple of hours later, he would be dead. The Viper Room was opened in 1993 by Johnny Depp and his 21 Jump Street costar Sal Jenco, but now, after nearly 30 years, it's getting ready to close its doors for good. Wikimedia CommonsRiver Phoenix and his younger brother Joaquin, pictured in the early 1980s. When this waitress started to take a cut from each game, it launched the Viper Room into the realm of organized crime. While he rarely spoke about the Children of God in public, his mother once quoted him as saying, Theyre disgusting. With a famous owner, the tragic death of a beloved actor and the unsolved disappearance of a business partner, the nightclub is filled with sinister energy. Situated at 8852 Sunset Boulevard on West Hollywood's celebrated Sunset Strip, The Viper Room began life as a humble grocery store before being converted into a nightclub in 1946. Sadly, River Phoenixs death in 1993 wasnt a complete surprise. River Pheonix in 1989, photo by Alan Light. Even younger talents like Leonardo DiCaprio were shaken by the news. The Viper Room opened on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood in 1993. Her thesis examined menstrual education in Victorian England. The Viper Room, Aaron Carter, Kanye West, & More. : r/conspiracy - Reddit The iconic Viper Room opened by Johnny Depp and former actor Sal Jenco in 1993 will become a. But no matter what becomes of the Viper Room down the road, one thing's for sure. Nightlife, Bars & Clubs. At the time, his parents and four siblings were entirely dependent on Rivers success. When actor Johnny Depp launched The Viper Room in 1993, it automatically became one of the hottest places on the Sunset Strip. Number of pages: 288. I stayed in a supposedly haunted hotel (not on purpose). [8], As part of the settlement of a lawsuit involving the disappearance of co-owner Anthony Fox in December 2001, Depp relinquished his ownership of the Viper Room in 2004. In 1999, Johnny Depp found himself in the middle of a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by his business partner Anthony Fox. Though he was wearing shorts, he took the dare, and the window shattered. 30 Hair-Raising Places Actually Visited By The Ghost - TheTravel By the 1980s, the building had turned into a jazz club called The Central. By the early 90s, the club was close to being closed for good when musician Chuck E. Weiss, who often performed at The Central, encouraged his friend Johnny Depp to buy the building. Much to the horror of his siblings and girlfriend, he started going into convulsions. But a tragic event brought the club permanent infamy just two-and-a-half months after opening. Over the years, mainstream stars including Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani, appeared with the girl group. In the 1940s it was converted into a nightclub called the "Cotton Club", entirely unrelated to the Harlem original. [15] In 2016, The Viper Room began issuing cease and desist notices to bootleg merchandise sellers on eBay and other online storefronts. Samantha Mathis, Phoenix's girlfriend, and his siblings, Rain and Leaf (a.k.a. After calling for medical attention, River later died in the hospital. "Twenty years after his death, River Phoenix remains as enigmatic and elusive as ever. River Phoenix died just outside the nightclub. The Viper Room Zak and the crew investigate the infamous Viper Room on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip. River Phoenix died just outside the nightclub. He reportedly stayed sober for two months while filming the movie Dark Blood in Utah and New Mexico. The Viper Room, Johnny Depp, and the scandals. - Mamamia By today's standards, the Phil Moore Four marked a veritable yawn-fest, promising "Music with a Sweet Beat," and likely equally "Sweet Dreams." Over the years, it attracted a steady crowd of recognizable faces, including Uma Thurman, Mick Jagger, Tommy Lee, Pamela Anderson, Charlize Theron, Pink, Juliette Lewis, Cameron Diaz, and more. The drug routine stayed pretty consistent for all of us. "Have you got anything on you?" To this day, the bar is riddled with rumors of bodies hidden in the walls and ghosts running wild. Have the dark energies of Hollywoods past endured a century of time? Every Thursday night, the Pussycat Dolls would perform at the club. I feel like in virtually every movie that I made, there was a connection to River in some way. Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left GAC investigate the infamous on West Hollywood's . Unsolved: Supernatural S06E04 - The Hollywood Ghosts of the - Reddit Mobsters assaulted her after she refused them a percentage, and she was eventually caught and received twelve months of probation. Kate Moss's21st birthday wasn't an exception which could be expected from the model whoselook basically inspired the term "heroin chic.". Located at 8852 Sunset Boulevard, The Viper Room's storied address has a surprisingly long history behind it. INSIDE Tour the Haunted VIPER ROOM Bathroom - YouTube So they moved around quite a bit with their baby son. On the night of October 30, 1993, Phoenix and his girlfriend Samantha Mathis arrived at The Viper Room. OnOct. 31, 1993,actor River Phoenix went into convulsions on the sidewalk in front of the club, suffering an overdose due to lethal levels of cocaine and morphine. The call was later leaked to news stations. The Viper Room in West Hollywood. The Viper Room, Upcoming Events in West Hollywood on DoLA Situated on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, the Viper Room was both a cultural Mecca and an escape room for the hottest stars of the era. Yet, Donovan would make a recovery, getting released from the hospital three hours later. The next 18 years saw its rise as a mainstay of the L.A. music scene, featuring performances by Billy Ward and the Dominoes, Bobby Troup, Bobby Short, and many more. Until February 2009 there was a nightclub with the same name in Melbourne, Australia; it was closed down due to a spate of violent incidents that included two shootings as well as license breaches and the arrest of a co-owner on drug charges. The Viper Room has a ton of history, tragedy, and supernatural occurrences that span about 101 years. Cooper says the company continues to research the "highest and best use" of the property. Since then, the club famously owned by Johnny Depp has been known as a hotbed for unsavory activity. Depp Was Once Sued By Business Partner Who Now Remains Mysteriously But he didnt stay there for long. The Viper Room, where all Hollywood came to sell their soul Some locals fear the worst, an encounter with the wrecking ball. Things were not . Flickr/Francisco AntunesThe Viper Room in West Hollywood. Columbia PicturesRiver Phoenix in Stand By Me, the 1986 movie that helped make him a star. They went into a quieter area and were able to capture voices on tape that Viper Room employee Rita Fiora believed to be River when he said, I get confused.. at Laherty, West Hollywood, CA 90069. The subcommittee ruled that all eight Sunset Strip establishments should have their liquor licenses revoked due to "indecent, lewd, and lascivious entertainment." The Viper Room | Ghost Adventures | Travel Channel In early 1995, Australian singer and actor Jason Donovan suffered a drug-induced seizure at the club, but survived, as well as singer Courtney Love, who was given CPR by Depp after an overdose. Artists from Tom Petty to the Heartbreakers have performed in this iconic space. It's been 20 years since River Phoenix died on October 31, 1993 at the Viper Room, where the 23-year-old Oscar nominee drank a "speedball" of heroin and cocaine dissolved into a drink before. Although the building started as an innocuous blue-collar grocery store, it would rise to infamy two decades later as a notorious gangster hangout and strip club. By the time the paramedics showed up, River Phoenix had already flatlined. At the beginning, it was home to a small grocery store. Mar 29, 2022. Venomous African viper: Room opening that may "swing" or "revolve": Restaurant overseer, for short: Golf prop: There you have it, every crossword clue and answer from the Daily Themed Crossword on May 2 2023. Despite River Phoenixs tragic death outside the nightclub, it continued to be a hotspot for celebrities throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s. In 2017, the television ghost-hunting crew Ghost Adventures paid the club a visit. Fans have left flowers, candles and notes at the spot where he. In the late 1940s, Los Angeles experienced significant growth during the post-World War II manufacturing boom. The Full Story Of River Phoenix's Death And His Tragic Final Hours Billed as "Harlem in Hollywood," the club featured an "All-Star Show." Published Jan 15, 2019. Photo courtesy of Fllckr, jennyfersure CC-2.0, Given the death of River and the mobster connections, it would make sense for some interesting ghosts to be hanging around.