Johnny Depp owned The Viper Room when Phoenix died outside (Image: Alcon Entertainment) Depp, who bought The Viper Room in the early 1990s, was deeply impacted by the death of his close friend. Since then, the club famously owned by Johnny Depp has been known as a hotbed for unsavory activity. The reason why it is such a big deal is that it is a place where Hollywood elites hangout! EARLIER: Restaurant and nightclub entrepreneur Harry Morton, who owned the Pink Taco eateries and the famed Viper Room nightclub, has died at age 38. Harry’s half sister Domino Harvey (who died of drug overdose in 2005 and whose life as loosely based on the movie Domino starring Keira Knightly) was also a bounty hunter, so it looks like detective work was something that runs in the family. The Viper Room is a nightclub located on West Hollywood, California. . This coming Tuesday, October 30, will mark 25 years since River Phoenix died outside the Viper Room, on Sunset Boulevard. It was a place that epitomized sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, even after the club's … Here are some tragic stories from The Viper Room. On Halloween night 20 years ago, actor River Phoenix, 23, collapsed and died outside the Viper Room nightclub in West Hollywood, Calif.Fans were … No cause of death has been determined. on his way to The Viper Room,” DiCaprio explained. He was found unresponsive by his younger brother, Matthew, in his Beverly Hills home Saturday afternoon. And also it was previously owned by Johnny Depp. Zak Bagans at the spot outside The Viper Room where actor River Phoenix died in 1993. The Pirates of the Caribbean star had turned the club into a rock venue where acts including Guns 'N' Roses and Johnny Cash performed. Restaurant and nightclub entrepreneur Harry Morton, who owned the Pink Taco eateries and the famed Viper Room nightclub, has died at age 38. The Viper Room rose to Hollywood infamy after River Phoenix tragically overdosed there on Halloween night in 1993, and his brother's harrowing 911 call was broadcast on news channels around the world. Samantha Mathis was with her boyfriend, River Phoenix, when he died Oct. 31, 1993, of a drug overdose outside of Los Angeles' famed Viper Club. The Stand By Me actor died from a drug overdose at 23 years old in October of 1993 outside of the iconic Los Angeles landmark. He was found unresponsive by his younger brother, Matthew, in his Beverly Hills home Saturday afternoon. The actor was just 23 when he died outside the Viper Room in West Hollywood due to a drug overdose, but made his mark on the world after starring … Restaurant and nightclub entrepreneur Harry Morton, who owned the Pink Taco eateries and the famed Viper Room nightclub, has died at age 38. . And he was . No cause of death has been determined.