JOHNNY Depp reeled off a list of his druggie heroes from rock music and literature — including Keith Richards and 14th century poet Geoffrey Chaucer.

He told the court Hunter S Thompson, a US writer known for experimenting with mind-bending substances, had also been his idol.

And he admitted to taking drugs twice with rocker Marilyn Manson.

He said: “I’ve always been interested in the counterculture and many of my literary heroes — including Chaucer and Thomas De Quincey — were drug addicts.

“So it has been a subject that I’ve learned and read about. Hunter S Thompson was an idol of mine.”

Depp described Rolling Stone Richards as “one of my favourite guitarists and a role model”.

He called Manson a friend and, asked if they had taken drugs together, replied: “Maybe twice, years ago. Long before [Amber].”

The court heard Depp also supplied drugs to Avengers star pal Paul Bettany, 49.

And he was quizzed about the 1993 overdose death outside his Hollywood nightclub of actor River Phoenix.

Depp said: “River began to feel poorly, he began to sweat and he went out of the door and once out of the door he collapsed.”

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