the viper room haunted

In its place will be a 12-story mixed-use high rise at the corner of Sunset and Larrabee in West Hollywood. He was just 23 years old. 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. Sadly, when he returned to Los Angeles in late October 1993, he almost immediately went on a massive drug binge. Though his loved ones quickly called 911, it was already too late to save him. Samantha Mathis felt like something wasnt right. HOME PLAYMATES RATES DISCRETION TOUR SCHEDULE WHAT'S HAPPENING Donovan eventuallyturned his life around,at least partially due to the encouragement of Johnny Depp, who recommended the singer"take it easy in the future. Phoenix collapsed outside of the club in front of his brother and sister, Joaquin and Rain Phoenix;Rainsat onRiver's chest to try and stop his convulsing. 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. LA Curbed reports that the 1.7-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard comprising the strip lay in an unincorporated region of Los Angeles County, outside of L.A. Police Department jurisdiction. In the 1970s, the club changed again to Filthy Mcnastys, where rock n roll began to come in. His parents John Lee Bottom and Arlyn Dunetz were known for their nomadic lifestyle and financial instability. Ten days later, he committed suicide in his hotel room in Sydney, Australia. The LA-based firm Silver Creek Development will turn the legendary 8852 West Sunset Boulevard into a residential building with cafes, restaurants, and a luxury hotel. Some locals fear the worst, an encounter with the wrecking ball. Two of Phoenixs siblings, Joaquin and Rain, were also in attendance. [3] and in the 1980s, a jazz club called "The Central". I must have blacked out again after that - the next memory I have is of being carried out of the club by paramedics on a stretcher. Many people associate 8852 Sunset with Cohen's headquarters, Michael's Exclusive Haberdashery, although the haberdashery sat one block east at 8804 Sunset. 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. What could you expect from a night at the Greenwich Village Inn? Before long, he was starring in other major films like 1988s Running On Empty and 1991s My Own Private Idaho. It was opened in 1993 and has been famous in the news for various reasons at various times. In 1973, 8852 Sunset embraced a rock vibe as Filthy McNasty's, enjoying a long line of fascinating clientele, reports Wehoville. The club existed on the site of The Melody Room, formerly owned by gangster Bugsy Siegel in the 1940's. Johnny and musician Chuck E. Weiss went into business with Fox, took 51% ownership in . His skin reportedly turned grey, and after telling his friend he thought he was overdosing, he collapsed outside of the club in front of his siblings. 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. Horrified, she ran back into the club to get Phoenixs siblings. Born Wilfried Bartsch in Berlin, McNasty and his brother, Wolfgang, relocated to America in 1956, finding work in the restaurant business before acquiring and revamping the Melody Lounge. [18] In 1997, the Viper Room was also a place of a few early solo live performances by John Frusciante at the time of his bad physical condition caused by drug abuse. Tragically, this would culminate in his death outside the notorious Viper Room nightclub. Given the history of drugs and rock n roll, this is an interesting one to visit. The Viper Room is known for the drug-fueled debauchery that ensued inside its doors during the '90s. It is one of the oldest built remaining structures on the Sunset Strip. The Viper Room Zak and the crew investigate the infamous Viper Room on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip. 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. I tried to speak but couldn't. Madeline Hiltz 1/19/2023. As for the Melody Room? By September 1950, the modest building reopened as the Last Call, a strip club specializing in a "Rendezvous of the Stars" and "Strip-Capades." 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. But it was River Phoenixs role in the 1986 movie Stand By Me that really got Hollywoods attention. Donovan described the harrowing incident in his memoir Between the Lines: My Story Uncut. Have the dark energies of Hollywoods past endured a century of time? Showing Editorial results for viper room. Then, take a look at the mystery of Natalie Woods death. But since he wasnt needed for a certain night shoot, director George Sluizer allowed him to return to California. Despite the hullabaloo, the subcommittee's recommendations went unheeded for one very intimidating reason the influence of organized criminals, including Bugsy Siegel and Mickey Cohen. Over the years, mainstream stars including Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani, appeared with the girl group. Slash and Danny Saber play guitar at The Viper Room for the Jim Dunlop party in Los Angeles, California in 1999. Johnny Depp Was Blamed For River Phoenix's Death. On Dec. 26, 1952, another salacious event took place on the sidewalk in front of the building. at Laherty, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Kate Moss's21st birthday wasn't an exception which could be expected from the model whoselook basically, Donovan described the harrowing incident in his memoir, Donovan eventuallyturned his life around,at least partially due to the encouragement of Johnny Depp, who, River Phoenix Tragically Overdosed Outside Of The Viper Room, Slipknot's Corey Taylor Was Thrown In Jail After Purposely Smashing A Viper Room Window, Jason Donovan Was Carried Out Of The Viper Room In A Stretcher During Kate Moss's Birthday Party. Johnny Cash performed at the venue, debuting material that would later appear on American Recordings (1994). According to his autobiography,Between the Lines: My Story Uncut, as highlighted in The Mirror, Donovan had a near-death experience at the Viper Room after succumbing to cocaine-induced seizures. Born River Jude Bottom on August 23, 1970, Phoenix spent his first days on a farm in Oregon. They soon changed their last name to Phoenix, converted to veganism, and moved to California. In 2004, Depp signed over his share in the Viper Room to Fox's daughter, Amanda, who sold it in 2008 (via NME). most haunted cities. Yet, Donovan would make a recovery, getting released from the hospital three hours later. But Rivers tragic passing wasnt the first. Kate Moss's21st birthday wasn't an exception which could be expected from the model whoselook basically inspired the term "heroin chic.". The Viper Room has also been the site of some rather unsavory activity it was a place that put sex, drugs, and rock n roll on a pedestal. 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. People are coming out and laughing at me. [4][5] This nightclub was close to shutting down before Chuck E. Weiss, who had performed there for years, suggested to Depp that he should revitalize the spot and rename it "The Viper Room". Despite its cleaned-up image, the Viper Room remains haunted with memories of rampant cocaine abuse and lives cut too short. [14] On April 16, 2011, a nightclub named "The Viper Room" opened its doors in the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Actors Johnny Depp and Sal Jenco owned the nightclub. 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. Despite blacking out and getting rushed to the hospital, Donovan survived the brush with fate. Watch your inbox for new Haunting Tales and tour updates. But a tragic event brought the club permanent infamy just two-and-a-half months after opening. The drug routine stayed pretty consistent for all of us. Some people speculated in-fighting between gangsters produced the mysterious blaze. According to Bob Forrest, one of Phoenix's close friends who also happened to be at the Viper Room that night, the group would regularly "smoke crack or shoot coke directly into a vein" then "shoot heroin to get a grip and come down enough to be able to carry on a conversation for a few minutes before you start the cycle again." Cooper says the company continues to research the "highest and best use" of the property. Zak, Aaron, Billy, and Jay. 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. Daily traffic increases justified paving the highway as the surrounding neighborhood evolved into a celebrity playground. Open today: 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM. Johnny Depp was one of the owners (he would give up his stake in 2004). At just 23-years-old, River was poised to have a successful acting career alongside Leonardo DiCaprio when he collapsed outside of the Viper Room on October 31st, 1993. On the night River overdosed, he drank a speedball a mix of heroin and cocaine dissolved into a drink and chased it with Valium. Without further adieu, lets dive into The Viper Room and explore its checkered past! He returned to Los Angeles on October 26, 1993. In 2004, Johnny Depp sold his stake in The Viper Room. In a strange turn of events, DiCaprio actually saw Phoenix in Hollywood on the same night that he died just hours before he left this Earth. Before the untimely death of River Phoenix, he had been struggling with cocaine and heroin abuse. I didnt see anyone doing drugs but he was high in a way that made me feel uncomfortable I was in way over my head. On the evening of October 30, Mathis went to the bathroom. While he rarely spoke about the Children of God in public, his mother once quoted him as saying, Theyre disgusting. From 1951 to 1969, the location was a bar called "The Melody Lounge". A crowd had circled round me and Michael [Hutchenceof INXS] was standing over me trying to empty my trouser pockets. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}34525.7N 118234.8W / 34.090472N 118.384667W / 34.090472; -118.384667. Despite the much-publicized death, the Viper Room persisted as a star-studded hangout throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Like the Cotton Club, the Greenwich Village Inn bore a famous name a callback to the Greenwich Village Caf located in the 1920's Christie Hotel (the first "modern" luxury hotel, according to the Los Angeles Times). On the night of October 30, 1993, Phoenix and his girlfriend Samantha Mathis arrived at The Viper Room. He was wheeled out of the Viper Room ona stretcher. The original building where the club is currently located is slated to be demolished by 2023, to make way for a replacement club, retail and a five star hotel tower. In 1999, Johnny Depp found himself in the middle of a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by his business partner Anthony Fox. Save. The location itself initially operated as a grocery store from 1921 into the 1940s. The development, which was announced. I wanted to reach out and say hello because he was this great mystery and wed never met, said DiCaprio. when members of the band the Brian Jonestown Massacre began brawling with each other on stage while performing. August of 1993 is when it finally became The Viper Room after Johnny Depp became a co-owner and majority stockholder. During Ritas decade-long tenure at the Viper Room, shes experienced some pretty unexplainable things: Ive had my hair yanked, a hand on my leg. Although he no longer has any ownership in the club, he did have a rocky start after he got involved. After the tragedy, his brothers 911 call was broadcast all over the world. Despite all its history, The Viper Room is set to be developed into a high-rise starting in 2023. Entrepreneur Molly Bloom was hired to run the games, which ended up attracting a number of A-list movie stars, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Summary: Zak and the crew investigate the infamous Viper Room on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip. Coupled with the infamous hit on Bugsy Siegel a few years earlier in 1947, this meant an end to the stranglehold the mafia had over West Hollywood. Murders That Go Unsolved. Once partly owned by Johnny Depp and long a magnet for Hollywood stars, the Sunset Strip nightclub has earned its place in rock 'n' roll lore: legends like Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and The Strokes have all taken to its stage. Historic documents compiled by West Hollywood'sHistoric PreservationCommission show that a grocery store named Young's Market originally occupied the site at 8852 Sunset, supplying the inhabitants of Sherman, a blue-collar railroad community down the hill. They also argued that the businesses offered hangouts for immoral and perverted individuals. Mobster Mickey Cohen and his cohorts were known to frequent The Melody Room during this time. During their investigation, they heard disembodied voices saying Im confused. They told the ticket-booth operator Rita about them, and she claims that this voice belonged to the ghost of River Phoenix, who passed suddenly and tragically at the club. 104 Reviews. At the time, his parents and four siblings were entirely dependent on Rivers success.

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