Philip Seymour Hoffman was kicked out by girlfriend over heroin addiction
- From: News Limited Network
- February 04, 2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman fans react to his passing 1:38
Residents of New York's Greenwich Village talk about the death of the Oscar winner. Alicia Powell reports.
- Up to 50 envelopes of heroin reportedly found in apartment
- Police launch citywide search for Hoffman's drug dealer
- Authorities expected to undertake autopsy later today
PHILIP Seymour Hoffman's long-time partner had recently kicked him out of their New York apartment because of his struggles with heroin addiction.
Friends said the Oscar-winning star's estranged girlfriend Mimi O'Donnell was showing "tough love" by ordering Hoffman out of the $4.4 million home they owned together so he could get himself off the drug.
“It was known that he was struggling to stay sober, and [O’Donnell] had given him some tough love and told him he needed some time away from the kids and to get straight again,” a source told the New York Post.
As tributes for the Oscar-winner continued to flow, a teary Cate Blanchett paid a visit to the apartment where Hoffman once lived with costume designer O'Donnell and children Cooper, 10, Tallulah, 7, and Willa, 5.
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The Aussie star, a great friend of Hoffman since they appeared together in the 1999 movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, was photographed carrying toys and gifts for Hoffman's kids as she entered the West Village apartment block.
Dressed in black, Blanchett made no comment but has clearly been hit hard by the tragic passing of a fellow actor and good mate.
Teary ... Cate Blanchett outside the apartment where Hoffman used to live. Pic: Hall Raymond.
She and her husband Andrew Upton invited Hoffman to Sydney in 2010 to direct the Sam Shepard play True West for the Sydney Theatre Company. Upton yesterday described Hoffman as "an incredible man. A generous and true spirit. The loss is extraordinary".
Hoffman began renting a US$10,000-a-month apartment in nearby Greenwich Village - around three blocks away from costume designer O'Donnell and his three young children - about three months ago.
It was here the 46-year-old Oscar winner was found dead, lying in his underwear on the bathroom floor. A needle was still stuck in his left arm. A charred spoon was reportedly in the kitchen sink.
It has since emerged that he was reportedly spending $US10,000 a month on heroin as well as using prescription drugs when he died.
The Capote actor not only had a massively expensive heroin habit but was also said to be using the pain-relieving drug, Oxycontin.
Estranged ... Mimi O'Donnell and Hoffman attend the premiere of "The Ides of March" in 2011. Pic: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images.
Several prescription drugs - including one that helps heroin addicts kick the habit - were also reportedly found in his Manhattan apartment.
Authorities are expected to undertake an autopsy on the body of Oscar-winning star later today but a law enforcement official has already told AFP that early tests indicate drugs found in the apartment were heroin.
As the extent of Hoffman's drug taking became clearer, multiple sources said that between 40 and 50 envelopes of a drug believed to be heroin were found in the apartment where he died.
"He was what we call a heavy 'red liner,'" a source told RadarOnline. "That means he liked to shoot [heroin] with a needle, but he also sniffed it daily. And he was majorly hooked on Oxy, too."
The NYPD has launched an intensive citywide search to identify the drug dealer who sold heroin to Hoffman, the New York Post reported.
Last shot ... Phillip Seymour Hoffman poses for what is most likely his last portrait at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on January 19.
"An internal email went out to all supervisors asking if anyone has had any experience with those brand names of drugs,” a law enforcement source said. "They’re going to try to find the source."
There have been reports of a possible link between a batch of heroin laced with fentanyl - a potent painkiller - and Hoffman's death.
The fentanyl-laced heroin has already been linked to a number of deaths across America's East Coast, according to The Times.
Some of the drug envelopes found in Hoffman's apartment had the brand "Ace of Spades" stamped in purple, a possible pointer to the deadly batch.
"Fentanyl-laced heroin has been stamped with any number of different markings, including Bud Ice or Ace of Spades," said Meghan Ralston, from the Drug Police Alliance, a prominent advocacy group. "We don't yet know what killed Philip Seymour Hoffman but we do know that there is a batch of heroin going round now, particularly on the East Coast, which is laced with fentanyl."
Philip Seymour Hoffman dead at 46 0:37
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead of an apparent drug overdose.
The news came as social media turned on former Gilmore Girls actor Jared Padalecki after he tweeted that Hoffman's death wasn't "sad" but "senseless" and "stupid".
Reports also emerged that Hoffman had tried to help Heath Ledger off heroin before the actor's 2008 death from prescription drugs.
Hoffman had entered rehab last year after being sober since the age of 23 but sources told Radar that he was well and truly off the wagon.
"He just bought five bundles of dope last week," the source claimed.
A bundle is 10 bags of heroin, and there are five bundles in a brick.
Philip Seymour Hoffman with partner Mimi O'Donnell and two of their three children on Bondi Beach in 2010. Picture: BIG Australia / PC / RH
"Heroin is one of the cheaper drugs, but Hoff wasn’t buying the cheap stuff," the source said. "Still, to be spending 10 grand, he was using hard."
O'Donnell was quoted by US media as saying Hoffman was high when she last saw him on Saturday afternoon and spoke to him Saturday evening.
She - and their three children Cooper, Tallulah and Willa - have not been seen since the tragic news broke.
Hollywood has also been left reeling from yet another untimely drug death, with news of the popular character actor's battles with substance abuse coming as a shock to many.
"I feel so fortunate to have known and worked with the extraordinary Philip Seymour Hoffman and am deeply saddened by his passing,'' said Julianne Moore, who co-starred with Hoffman in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and The Big Lebowski.
Philip Seymour Hoffman tribute 2:02
A collection of great scenes from the talented actor's impressive filmography. Hoffman has sadly died in his New York apartment.
"He was a giant talent,'' said Tom Hanks, who starred with Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War.
In his memory, Broadway’s theatres will dim the lights on their marquees for a minute on Wednesday evening.
"It’s pretty apparent that it was an overdose," an official told The New York Times. “The syringe was in his arm.”
A law-enforcement source told the Post there didn’t appear to be another woman in the actor’s life.
“Sex is the last thing on your mind’’ when you’re so drug-addicted, the source said. “Your sex is your drugs.”
Basketball fan... The actor at a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in 2010. Actor Matthew Modine is second from left. Picture: Kathy Willens/AP
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Award winner ... Hoffman at the Venice Film Festival.
Hoffman still had seven days of filming to go on the final movie of The Hunger Games franchise, Mockingjay Part II.
Lionsgate studio released a statement calling Hoffman "one of the most gifted actors of his generation". It is not yet known how his death will impact on production work on Mockingjay.
His 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.”
Commanding presence ... Police are seen outside the home of Philip Seymour Hoffman in New York after the Oscar-winning actor was found dead in his apartment. He was 46. Picture: AP / Matt Rourke
Hoffman, who won the Best Actor Oscar for the 2005 film Capote, spent 10 days in a detox facility for heroin use in May last year.
At the time, TMZ reported Hoffman had struggled with substance abuse in the past but kicked the habit for 23 years. His relapse started with prescription pills and escalated to snorting heroin.
Hoffman told TMZ the heroin use lasted about a week before he realised he needed help.
He had credited "a great group of friends and family" for helping him seek treatment.
Hoffman, best known recently for his role as Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, also starred in Moneyball, Doubt, Scent of a Woman and The Big Lebowski.
Oscar recipient ... Hoffman accepting his Oscar for his role in Capote. Picture: AP
He was born in New York State. He began his acting career in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films.
He had supporting roles in a number of critically-acclaimed movies throughout the 1990s, including Boogie Nights and Magnolia. His growing reputation as a character actor reached its peak with his award-winning 2005 portrayal of the US writer Truman Capote.
He also had a successful stage career, directing and appearing in a multiple Broadway productions, including a turn in 2012 in Death of a Salesman, for which he earned a Tony award nomination.
Last month, Hoffman appeared worse for wear at the Sundance Film Festival at a party for his movie God’s Pocket, witnesses told The Post.
He seemed "slightly disheveled and pasty" and initially declined interviews while his co-stars, Christina Hendricks and John Slattery, talked to the media, witnesses said.
A representative said at the time, "He needed a minute and didn’t feel like coming down yet."
Philip Seymour Hoffman at Sundance 1:34
In one of his last interviews, Philip Seymour Hoffman talks about his character in the film 'God's Pocket' and how he chooses movie roles
Later, Hoffman seemed more relaxed and agreed to do some interviews but would only talk about the movie. He was later spotted at another party chatting to actor Sam Rockwell.
Speaking at the London Critics' Circle Film Awards in central London, John Hurt - who starred with Hoffman in 2003 film Owning Mahowny - said: "It's a devastating loss. His contribution was massive."
Jeff Bridges posted his thoughts on his Facebook page.
"I'm so shocked, and so sad hearing of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death. I enjoyed playing with him on The Big Lebowski. He was such a wonderful guy, and so damn talented, a real treasure. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Comic veteran Steve Martin said he was "shocked" to learn of Hoffman's death. "If you missed him as Willy Loman, you missed a Willy Loman for all time," he tweeted.
Star turn... Hoffman as Truman Capote in the 2005 film.
"Philip Seymour Hoffman was a brilliant, talented man," Ellen DeGeneres tweeted. "The news this morning is shocking and sad. My heart goes out to his loved ones."
Girls creator Lena Dunham described Hoffman as a "beautiful beautiful man".
"We have lost so much joy to something so joyless."
Similar sentiment came from Jim Carrey. "Dear Philip, a beautiful beautiful soul. For the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much. Bless your heart," he wrote.
Val Kilmer described it as a "blu(e) day".
"Addiction comes fr(om) trying to escape th(e) pain of living. We all struggle with this but drugs never help," he tweeted.
If you or someone you know is suffering from personal problems, contact Lifeline (13 11 14), beyondblue (1300 22 46 36) or the Salvo Care Line (1300 36 36 22).
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