London, Jan 13: Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed that he was left horrified when fellow actors Heath Ledger and River Phoenix died from drug overdose.

Despite growing up in a heroin-riddled neighbourhood, the `Titanic' star has never been tempted to drugs.

Early exposure to substance abuse put him off from experimenting.

"I knew drugs were bad, even as a little kid. Seeing the effects that drugs had on my block, seeing heroin addicts, it made me think twice about ever getting involved in drugs," the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

"I was so horrified by what I saw drugs do to people that I never wanted anything to do with them," he added.

Moreover, death of actors Phoenix and Ledger from an accidental overdose left him horrified.

"When I was a young actor, I saw other actors die of drugs. I watched what happened to River Phoenix, who was such an influence on me as a young actor," he said.

"Now Heath Ledger has died young. It is such a horrifying thought to know that those guys aren''t around any more. Every person has demons. We all have horrible fears and insecurities that we need to overcome," he added. (ANI)