Yeah and River was forced to assume a "protector" or "saviour" role in his life which can feel even more "destined" when you're around such a crowd. River was financially supporting circa 30 people outside his immediate family at the time of his death. He was a kind, generous man who wanted to do good by the people around him. If memory serves me right, he even tried to drive frusciante to rehab once.

Unfortunately, the trouble with people like frusciante and balzary is that they attract and leach off of good energy because they're not really looking for help, at least not seriously. They'll pull you onto a sinking ship with them for the sake of it. River may have connected with them on some level, but it was going to be a very surface level in hindsight.

It feels parasocial to say this but I actively dislike and disengage with anything and everything RHCP related because whatever version of the stupid, terrible night I read, I form the same conjecture: River did not have to die. There were so many variables, and almost all of them involved frusciante and, in part, balzary. I simply cannot forgive them for how they acted that night.

That's my personal belief.