Joaquin Phoenix names infant son 'River' after beloved deceased family member

Joaquin Phoenix appears to have an emotional reason behind the name of his newborn son and the internet is gushing over the heartbreaking truth.

While the actor himself has not announced the news of his child’s birth, the director for his new documentary Victor Kossakovsky took it upon himself to explain the truth behind the actor’s absence from the Zurich Film Festival this Sunday.

The director said, “He just got a baby, by the way, his name was...a beautiful son named River, so he cannot promote it now.”

Check out the video below:

While many might not be aware Joaquin Phoenix once had an older brother named River who died at the tender age of 23, while Phoenix was barely 19 at the time.

The actor referenced his brother on numerous occasions but the most memorable occurred during his Oscars acceptance speech. It was there that Phoenix revealed his late brother’s most prized lyric, “When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric, he said, ‘Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow.”

Stories of their relationship were also shared during Phoenix’s 60 Minute Interview back in January of this year. “In virtually every movie I made, there was a connection to River in some way.”