Joaquin Phoenix shows the strain at charity event as the 20th anniversary of brother River's death looms following revelations in new tell-all book

It's a moment that will most likely haunt Joaquin Phoenix for the rest of his life.
The 20 year anniversary for his older brother River Phoenix's death is fast approaching this Halloween, where in 1993 he watched his sibling die from a lethal drug overdose outside of a Hollywood nightclub.
The 38-year-old actor appeared to be showing the strain as he attended a charity event with two of his surviving siblings on Wednesday in New York in the wake of a new biography of his famous brother that claims River may have been alive today if his friends - and Joaquin - had sought help sooner on that unforgettable night.

Surrounded: Joaquin Phoenix made a rare outing to The Lunchbox Fund Fall Fete in New York where the hostess, Topaz Page-Green, also happened to be his friendly ex-girlfriend

Looking pale with dark circles under his eyes, Joaquin smiled bravely at the charity event as he was supported by Rain, Summer and ex-girlfriends Topaz Page-Green and
Liv Tyler.
Gavin Edwards claims the Stand By Me star could've been saved if had been put in an ambulance straight away by his brother Joaquin and girlfriend Samantha Mathis when he started vomiting that Halloween in 1993, in new book Last Night At The Viper Room: River Phoenix And The Hollywood He Left Behind.
Instead Joaquin took him outside and insisted everything was okay - only calling for help when he went into a seizure.
River died at age 23 as a result of the speedball he had drunk whilst at the notorious Viper Room club in Los Angeles.

Family affair: Joaquin's sisters Rain and Summer also attended the event at Buddakan which came just days ahead of the 20th anniversary of their brother River's untimely death

The lethal cocktail was a mixture of cocaine and heroin.
The book’s claims are likely to reopen old wounds about who was to blame for River’s untimely demise ahead of the 20th anniversary of his death on October 31 this year.
The night he died River went to the Viper Room, which was owned by Johnny Depp, where he met his younger sister Rain, Joaquin and girlfriend Samantha Mathis.

Beloved: Joaquin's older brother River Phoenix, pictured in a still from 1990's I Love You To Death, died on October 31, 1993, in front of the West Hollywood club The Viper Room at age 23

According to an extract of Edwards’ book published in the New York Daily News, River gulped down a drink that was the deadly mixture of heroin and cocaine, prompting him to vomit and slump in his chair.
If the ambulance had been called at that moment then he might have been saved, the book says.
Instead, guided by Joaquin, he left the club and temporarily roused himself before falling onto the ground and going into a seizure which Rain tried to stop by sitting on his chest.
Over the next vital few minutes Christina Applegate, who was at the Viper Room too, came out of the club in tears and Mathis broke down in despair.
Joaquin, who was 19 at the time, kept saying that the situation was under control but finally called 911 and begged: ‘Please come, he’s dying, please’.
River was declared dead at Cedars-Sinai at 1:51am that night.
Meanwhile, the reclusive actor appeared to be in need of some family comfort as he hit up the Lunchbox Fund Fall Fete on Wednesday as he was flanked by his sisters Rain and Summer Phoenix AND ex-girlfriends Topaz Page-Green and Liv Tyler.
Joaquin, stayed close to Topaz, the model he dated in the early 2000s and who hosted the bash being held at Buddakan in New York City.

History: The 38-year-old actor and the South African-born model dated for four years until 2005 but are obviously still fond of each other

The Walk The Line star even dressed up in his best black tie that he matched with a white collared shirt, a black athletic jacket and jeans.
Joaquin let his dark hair hang loose, but at least he wasn't wearing his scruffy beard.
Topaz the Manhattan-transfer hostess made sure Joaquin felt welcome, even giving him a kiss on the cheek in front of the cameras.

Demonstrative: Topaz demonstrated her affection for Joaquin by planting a kiss on his cheek

The benefit was held to raise money for orphaned and other needy school children in South Africa, where Topaz is from.
Rain and Summer serve on the organisation's benefit committee and Liv Tyler is co-chair.
Rain, 40, who is also an actress and has starred in such films as Even Cowgirls Get The Blues and Hitch, wore a black skirt with ivory trim and a dressy coat to match.

Support system: Rain and Summer, pictured with Topaz, serve on The Lunchbox Fund benefit committee

She was bolstered by her younger sibling Summer, 34, who is wed to actor Casey Affleck and is the mother of his two children.
Summer was a breath of fresh air in a formal turquoise, one-shoulder gown with flowing train and an elegant updo.  
Also attending the event was Joaquin's former love, Liv, who arrived solo and looked marvelous in a clingy black top and tight green-striped skirt with a ruffled hem.

Feeling the love: Liv Tyler, who dated Joaquin for three years after meeting him on the set of 1995's Inventing The Abbotts, joined Joaquin and his sisters at the bash

Joaquin and Liv met on the set of 1995's Inventing The Abbotts and began dating, eventually moving in together.
Even though they broke up three years later, they've remained friends all these years.
Then again, Joaquin is the kind of guy that many gals can't help worrying about and smothering with gestures of kindness.
In the early morning hours of October 31, 1993, Joaquin witnessed his older brother River, then 23, collapse and die on the sidewalk outside the West Hollywood club The Viper Room.
River's cause of death was heroin and cocaine overdose, the end to a promising career that began with his break-out film role in 1986's Stand By Me.

Young love: Liv and Joaquin were joined at the hip as they attended a New York Virgin Megastore opening in 1998