Sadly, he passed away in 2015 at the age of 68. He was born on April 5, 1947, in Fontana, California, United States. John Lee Phoenix was a former missionary and founder of a landscape gardening company. About Joaquin Phoenix’s father – John Lee Phoenix They settled in Winterpark, Florida and later changed their surname from “Bottom” to “Phoenix” to symbolize the beginning of their new lives. A few years later, they quit the religious cult and moved back to the United States. They changed their birth names to Bible characters such as Jochebed and Amram for a while. Joaquin Phoenix’s parents got married in 1969 and after their marriage, they went as missionaries to Mexico, South America, and the United States, preaching the message of their cult. According to reports, the cult encouraged children as young as three years old to get intimate with their parents and other adults. The cult was founded by David Berg and it became infamous for child abuse allegations. In the early 70s, Joaquin’s parents joined a religious cult called “The Children of God”, now called “Family International”.