Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead at 46 of apparent drug overdose

DamnitAll · Feb 2, 2014

What a tremendous loss of talent.

New York Times:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Actor, Dies at 46

Philip Seymour Hoffman, perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation, who gave three-dimensional nuance to a wide range of sidekicks, villains and leading men on screen and embraced some of the theater’s most burdensome roles on Broadway, died Sunday at an apartment in Greenwich Village. He was 46.

The death, apparently from a drug overdose, was confirmed by the police. Mr. Hoffman was found in the apartment by a friend, David Bar Katz, who became concerned after being unable to reach him.

Investigators found a syringe in his left forearm, at least two plastic envelopes with what appeared to be heroin near where his body was found in a bathroom, and five empty plastic envelopes in a trash bin, a law-enforcement official said.

Mr. Hoffman was long known to struggle with addiction. In 2006, he said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that he had given up drugs and alcohol many years earlier, when he was 22. But last year, he checked into a rehabilitation program for about 10 days after a reliance on prescription pills resulted in his briefly turning again to heroin.

“I saw him last week, and he was clean and sober, his old self,” said Mr. Katz, a playwright, who said he called 911 after finding Mr. Hoffman. “I really thought this chapter was over.”

On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Hoffman’s family released a statement saying: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone. This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving. Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers.”

As news of Mr. Hoffman’s death spread, fellow actors as well as fans took to Twitter to express their admiration for his acting and grief over his death. Ellen DeGeneres, who will host the Oscars ceremony in March over which Mr. Hoffman’s death is likely to cast a pall, posted: “Philip Seymour Hoffman was a brilliant, talented man. The news this morning is shocking and sad. My heart goes out to his loved ones.”

Mr. Hoffman won an Academy Award in 2006 for best actor for his role in the film “Capote,” in which he portrayed the author Truman Capote as Mr. Capote researched the book “In Cold Blood.”

Known for his scene-stealing supporting roles, Mr. Hoffman was nominated for the Academy Award for best supporting actor three times: for the 2012 film “The Master,” the 2008 film “Doubt,” and the 2007 film “Charlie Wilson’s War.” He also recently had a role in the hugely popular “The Hunger Games” films.

Mr. Hoffman had been acting in films for the last two decades, often transforming physically for each new role. He was prolific as well, sometimes filming several movies in a year and appearing in plays on Broadway.

In 2012, he played Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” on Broadway, a performance that earned him his third Tony Award nomination. He was also nominated for “True West” in 2000 and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” in 2003.

“I try to live my life in such a way that I don’t have profound regrets,” Mr. Hoffman told The New York Times in 2008. “That’s probably why I work so much. I don’t want to feel I missed something important.”

Mr. Hoffman had three young children, a son and two daughters, with his partner, Mimi O’Donnell, a costume designer and the artistic director of the Labyrinth Theater Company in New York. The family lived in an apartment on Jane Street, neighbors said, not far from the building on Bethune Street, where his body was found.

In his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards in 2006, Mr. Hoffman thanked many people, but in particular his mother, Marilyn O’Connor, who attended. He thanked her for raising him and his three siblings on her own and for taking him to see his first play.

“Be proud, Mom, ‘cause I’m proud of you, and we’re here tonight, and it’s so good,” he said with a smile.

On Sunday afternoon outside the Bethune Street building, more than 100 people had gathered to mourn the actor’s death.

“He’s a local. He’s a fixture in this neighborhood,” said Christian McCulloch, 39, who said that he lives nearby. “You see him with his kids in the coffee shops. He is so sweet. It’s desperately sad.”

Down the street at the Labyrinth Theater Company, where Mr. Hoffman was a member since 1995, friends gathered on Sunday to remember him. David Deblinger, an actor and a member of the company, said Mr. Hoffman often came to the theater with his children in tow.

“He helped produce theater, and acted, and sold tickets and helped clean up,” Mr. Deblinger, 48, said. “We are here to remember him. This is a time to sit Shiva,” he said, referring to the Jewish mourning ritual.

Mr. Hoffman had recently been cast in a new television show on Showtime called “Happyish.” The network released a statement on Sunday calling him “one of our generation’s finest and most brilliant actors.”

“He was also a gifted comedic talent,” the statement said. “It was a great privilege and pleasure to work with him and we are all absolutely devastated by this sudden loss. Our thoughts go out to his family at this very difficult time.”

The last time Mr. Katz spoke to Mr. Hoffman was around 9 p.m. on Saturday, the law-enforcement official said. When the actor did not show up at 9 a.m. on Sunday for an expected visit with Ms. O’Donnell and their children, she called Mr. Katz, who went to the fourth-floor apartment on Bethune Street and found it double-locked, the official said. Mr. Katz phoned an assistant to Mr. Hoffman who had a set of keys, and they entered the apartment together around 11:30 a.m.

The plastic envelopes near Mr. Hoffman’s body that were believed to be heroin were stamped with two drug brands: one had purple letters spelling the words Ace of Spades and the other had a red icon of the ace of hearts, according to the law-enforcement official.

Narcotics detectives from the New York Police Department were investigating whether the brands had any significance or had surfaced in any other overdose cases. Investigators also planned to test the substances inside to determine if they had been tainted in anyway, though there was no initial indication that they had been.

The city medical examiner will conduct tests to determine a cause of death, and on Sunday, crime scene investigators combed through the area. About 6:40 p.m., Mr. Hoffman’s body was taken from the apartment, surrounded by police officers.
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Japchae · Feb 2, 2014

When I saw this post in the recent threads, followed by "DamnitAll," I heartily agreed.
"Damn it, ALL" was my first thought.

rogue49 · Feb 2, 2014

Brilliant actor.
Stupid human.

How could you risk & waste yourself this way??
Loved his movies, wonderful characters...but I guess he was a corrupted soul in real life.

He had everything...family, fame, fortune and accolades.

Hollywood's history is full of this stuff.

Levite · Feb 2, 2014

Man. That is really a crying shame. He was one of the greatest actors of our time, though often under-utilized.

But it's just not healthy to ride the white horse.

rogue49 · Feb 2, 2014

What Philip Seymour Hoffman Told Us About Grieving - Link

Known that he didn't suffer fools greatly...would he have suffered his own actions in the end??
Perhaps that's what drove him under...many of us beat ourselves up for deviating from certain standards (although arbitrary)

As he said...What is normal??

girldetective · Feb 3, 2014

PSH was a great surprise in my life. For years I would look at the ex and say, "You know, that guy. The one we like so much, one of our favorites? Whats his name?", and invariably the ex would reply, "O yea. I know who you mean. Whats his name?" I was one my way to mms today when I heard the news on the radio, and my stomach jolted. I was immediately flooded with images of him, and really the joy I felt to seeing and hearing him. I looked forward to him. I had a crush on him.

Parsed from an interviewer: He found life messy, weird, funny, beautiful, and endlessly difficult. He stared down the long, dark hallway that most of us avoid. He did not live easily in the world. He tried. But he didn't.

I sort of suspect it may have possibly been deliberate, on his part, but really I dont know.

Charlatan · Feb 3, 2014

I had no idea what his personal life was like. I just appreciated his acting. I would have liked to have been an actor of his calibre.

I will miss the performances he never had a chance to give.

Street Pattern · Feb 3, 2014

Charlatan said: ↑

I would have liked to have been an actor of his calibre.
Click to expand...

Not me. I don't envy the kind of life an actor has to live.

Charlatan · Feb 3, 2014

Street Pattern said: ↑

Not me. I don't envy the kind of life an actor has to live.
Click to expand...

There is a difference between fame and celebrity and skill and craft.

He was on a short list of actors whose skill and craft I admired.

Chris Noyb · Feb 3, 2014

If you haven't seen it, watch Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.

Sometimes the demons prevail over talent and success.

Very few actors could cover the wide variety of characters as convincingly as Hoffman did.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead at 46 of apparent drug overdose

DamnitAll Wait... what?

Japchae Very Tilted

rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

Levite Levitical Yet Funky

rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

girldetective Getting Tilted

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Street Pattern Very Tilted

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead at 46 of apparent drug overdose

DamnitAll Wait... what?

Japchae Very Tilted

rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

Levite Levitical Yet Funky

rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

girldetective Getting Tilted

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Street Pattern Very Tilted

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

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