Something that someone on another forum said about River Phoenix and his death really pissed me off. (But this also applies to anyone who has ever died of an accidental drug overdose, not just Phoenix, which is why I'm putting it here.)

I was talking about River Phoenix on this forum, and of course, I mentioned how he'd died - and one of the members said they thought it "served him right" for being stupid enough to do drugs in the first place.

Now okay, I agree that it was very foolish of River to get onto drugs, and I do agree that his death was kind of his fault, but I think it was incredibly harsh and unfair of this person to say that it "serves him right." Yes, getting into drugs was a stupid thing to do, but to say he deserved to die because of that? Come on! It's not like he was some evil person. In fact, everything I've read and heard about him points to him being a decent person. He was very concerned about environmental issues.

Anyway, the bottom line for me is, is that nobody deserves to die (especially as young as River was) - with the possible exception of exceptionally evil people. But River wasn't evil.

But of course, this is also the same for anyone else - famous or not famous. Anyone who dies of an accidental overdose - okay, it is foolish of them to get into drugs, but some of the reasons they get into them in the first place is because they have problems in their lives. And those who don't have problems - well, they might be pressured into it, or maybe they are just being stupid. But whatever the reason, I think it is cruel and unfair to think that they deserve to die just because they used drugs. It's just horrible.

I remember when he died. I met him once. He wasn't a bad guy, just hooked on drugs. Yes, it was stupid to do drugs, but to say "Served him right" is just wrong. It's not like he was a serial killer or something like that. He had his own problems, and tried to get past it. Unfortunately, he did it the wrong way.

Yes, it was stupid to do drugs, but to say "Served him right" is just wrong. It's not like he was a serial killer or something like that.

That's exactly why I'm so angry about it. I'm not denying that taking drugs (especially hard ones) is a pretty foolish thing to do, but most of the people who take them aren't evil people. River certainly wasn't. Neither, I believe, are most of the others who take them. So to say that he, or anyone else, deserved to die because of it, or that it serves them right, is a terrible thing to say, in my opinon.

That is absolutely absurd that someone would say that he deserved to die because of his drug addictions--or anyone for that matter! I know firsthand that a drug addiction is nothing to make light of or shrug off like that (I have not done them myself, but have experienced it in my immediate family). It tears apart families, as well as the people doing them, and most addicts WANT to stop but find that they can't.

In River's case, I read that his drug addiction was a recent thing. He had started dabbling about a year or two before his death (and by all accounts it was an infrequent thing), and one night just took it too far. I personally think he wasn't aware of how lethal the drugs he was mixing were to his body, and for that mistake, he died for it. I read that he had called close friend Corey Feldman (who he worked with on Stand By Me, and who was also a recovering drug addict at the time) because he wanted to talk to him about stopping the drugs.

You're right, he did not deserve it and he seemed like a truly kind person (and very talented). Sometimes he reminds me of my brother, and I get worried (even though my brother is recovering). I just get scared, is all.

I get very upset when people say stuff like that :(

I wouldn't say that it "serves them right," but I will say that those who abuse drugs are playing with fire, and 99.9% of the time know of the risk factor involved.

That would be like telling someone they deserved to die of a heart attack from clogged arteries, cause they shouldn't have been eating unhealthy in the first place.

I wouldn't say that it "serves them right," but I will say that those who abuse drugs are playing with fire, and 99.9% of the time know of the risk factor involved.

Yes, I'd agree with that. What they're doing is dangerous, and most of them probably know it (although I do think that in some cases, they aren't always fully aware of the harm or damage that they're inflicting upon themselves.)

It's the implication that they deserve to die that angers me. It's like saying that people smoke "deserve" to get cancer. Yes, they knew the risks. But that doesn't mean it "serves them right", nor does it mean that they deserve to get cancer.

I'm not sure who you're talking about, but he certainly did not "deserve to die". True, taking drugs are a sin, however, that doesn't mean that he deserved to die.

He had a problem, that doesn't make him a bad guy or anything.

I'm not sure who you're talking about, but he certainly did not "deserve to die".

I'm talking about anyone who has ever died of a drug overdose; the person I referenced was the actor River Phoenix, who died on 31st October 1993 at the age of 23. But it applies to anyone.