Amid all the Super Bowl talk on Sunday, February 2, came the shocking news that revered Hollywood actor Philip Seymour Hoffman had died of an apparent drug overdose.
According to CNN, New York City police found the 46-year-old, Oscar-winning thespian dead on the bathroom floor of his Manhattan apartment. The source reports that Hoffman had last been seen alive the previous night at around 8 p.m. and had been expected to pick up his children sometime the following day, but never showed up. His body was discovered yesterday by playwright David Katz.
Law enforcement officials said that Hoffman was found with a hypodermic needle in his left arm, along with eight empty bags that had contained heroin. An additional two bags labeled "Ace of Hearts" and "Ace of Spaces" – street names for the drug – were found at the scene.
Hoffman had battled with substance abuse earlier in his life before entering rehab at age 22.
"[Any drugs] I could get my hands on, I liked it all," Hoffman told "60 Minutes" in a 2011 interview, before explaining why he decided to seek help. "You get panicked […] I was 22 and I got panicked for my life."
Although he had been clean and sober for 23 years, Hoffman said he had fallen off the wagon last year, abusing prescription drugs before turning to heroin. He sought drug addiction treatment at a rehab facility in May of 2013.
Hoffman won numerous accolades for his work in films like "Boogie Nights," "Doubt" and "The Master," winning the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Truman Capote in the 2006 movie, "Capote." He is survived by his longtime partner and three children.
Tragedies like these reinforce the unfortunate fact that drug addiction doesn't discriminate. If you know someone battling substance abuse and are in need of help, reach out to the specialists at Fairwinds Treatment Center as soon as possible.
