"I notice that only Colleen has answered this post and admitted that the 911 call was just as bad as the coffin picture.
Maybe i hit a nerve with some people."
Oh I absolutely agree that the 911 call is at least as bad as the coffin photo -- if not worse in some ways. I've seen the coffin photo ... it happened accidentally on another site that DID NOT warn you about the link you were clicking on, and I was horrified. Not because I thought River looked bad as some people have said, but just because this was River DEAD -- something that only his family and closest friends should have seen. If you want a laugh, it actually gave me sort of the same feeling I got when I accidentally walked in on my friend and her boyfriend having sex (no clothes, no sheets, no nothing except them, yikes!) -- an extremely personal and private thing I had no business seeing yet couldn't beat the image outta my head to save my life lol. It was that same mortified AND terrified "Holy s--- I'm not supposed to be seeing this" reaction. The pic is disturbing and haunting because it was never meant to be seen by us, by anyone but those closest to him on that one night. But the 911 call is different IMO. I've heard that too. I vaguely remember back to the days after River's death when it was played on tv and radio so much you couldn't help but hear it. I also heard it again recently on one of the River bios on E! or A&E, wherever. I was not aware prior to watching it that the call would be played, so I wasn't expecting it. I felt the same discomfort and nausea when I heard it again, maybe even more so because I've become such a big fan of Joaquin in the last few years. The call is different from the pic because it is absolutely heartbreaking and gut-wrenching. You're not hearing a celebrity when you listen to that call, you're listening to a teenager who's scared out of his mind that his worst fears in life are coming true and his big brother is dying. He wants so badly to believe the 911 operator when she tries to comfort him (the ambulance is on its way, it's alright...) that he keeps muttering something like "thank you, thank you so much" to her over and over again -- one last ditch hope that maybe just maybe his brother will be ok somehow. He was so desperate for that reassurance. He was a scared little boy. He was so HUMAN. How can anyone listen to that and not weep for that scared little boy? How can you hear that and not think you're listening to sheer human agony rather than some sad celebrity who deserves to be exploited?? It's awful. That should have been Joaquin's PRIVATE pain, but most of us have heard it, haven't we? Can you imagine calling 911 as your brother (sister, mother, father, husband, wife, son, daughter, best friend, etc.) lay dying and then have your grief and fear and pain played all over the world for everyone to hear? How mortified and then justifiably p---ed off would you be? It's no wonder Joaquin hates giving interviews and declares up front that he will answer no questions about his private life and that questions or comments about River will result in the interview's prompt (and if I were him, a bit violent) end. But now I come to the huge DIFFERENCE in the picture and the call: the picture was either taken or reproduced illegally without the family's permission and therefore should NOT be out there for people to see, but River's family apparently didn't act quickly enough to get it removed -- so there it is. (Whether you choose to click on it or not is of course your choice, but just remember it's not something you were EVER meant to see). The 911 call, on the other hand, was obtained quite legally and can be played legally for the rest of eternity (and damn well may be at this rate). See, here in the US you pay a 911 tax, technically making all 911 calls legal PUBLIC property (no, I'm not good at explaining the technical stuff here). ALL 911 calls are recorded, I'm sure in part to aid police later if necessary, and to be sure proper protocol was followed etc. (Again, not great with the technicalities, but that means Joaquin's call was taped automatically, not because he was calling in about his dying celebrity brother.) So it's par for the course to turn on the evening news and hear horrifying 911 calls from people reporting terrible car accidents, break-ins, assault, rape, murder, you name it. That doesn't mean it's not a huge invasion of privacy though, does it? I'll never forget several years ago when a 911 call was played quite a bit (don't remember if it was local or national news either) from a woman on her cell phone (which at that time couldn't be traced by 911 to automatically provide a location). She was in her car as it was going under water after running off the road, through a bridge, and into a river. She couldn't get out and she was trying desperately to provide the 911 operator with enough details of where she had been driving so they could find her and help her. You can hear her screaming and crying as she keeps telling them she's sinking deeper, until finally you hear nothing at all. The woman died. She died and her final moments of agony and fear were played and replayed for all the world to hear. Can you imagine how her family must have felt?? Well folks, if what I told you right there (and it IS a very TRUE story -- I still get chills thinking about it) horrifies you and makes you feel terrible for her family, then think about that before you go seeking out Joaquin's 911 call (or copying it and handing it out to others). Joaquin and his family deserve the same privacy and respect. Forget there was a celebrity dying in the background while Joaquin was talking, pleading, and crying, and instead remember there was a brother, son, and friend dying in the background. There should be no difference to you. Human is human, and I dare anyone who has heard that tape to deny just how very vulnerable and human Joaquin was when he was making that phone call. You should all respect that, and respect River's and Joaquin's privacy when confronted with the choice of looking at the coffin picture or listening to the 911 call.
::tripping and falling off my soap box::
Now you know my 2 billion cents.
Peace everyone.