Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final descent into drugs

He did his best to clean up. He had a family he loved, friends who adored him and a career he was proud of.

Philip Seymour Hoffman lost his family due to his heroin addiction, said friends of the Oscar winning actor, who died with 70 bags of heroin and 20 used needles inside his home. Denying all rumours that the actor had been kicked out by his partner of 14 years because of an affair, those close to the Oscar winner confirmed that Hoffman had been asked to leave for the sake of his three children, as he battled a serious drug addiction.

A Hollywood source was reported to have said, “It was known that he was struggling to stay sober, and girlfriend Mimi O’Donnell had given him some tough love and told him he needed some time away from the kids and to get straight again,” reported the Daily Mail. Hoffman moved only a few blocks away from the home he had shared with his partner and children around three months ago.

Hoffman, who had been sober for 23 years, relapsed and displayed alarming behaviour in the weeks leading up to his untimely death. O’Donnell told NYPD that when she last saw the actor at 2pm on Saturday on the street near to the apartment he was living in, he appeared to be under the influence of drugs. When she spoke to him again at around 8pm on Saturday he again seemed to be in an addled frame of mind. Hoffman was found in his underwear on a bathroom floor around 11:30am by his personal assistant, with a syringe still in his arm.

When O’Donnell was informed about his demise, she rushed to Hoffman’s apartment and insisted on being allowed in. Police initially barred her from the scene, but she was later allowed to enter the building.

Australian actor Cate Blanchett appeared teary-eyed as she arrived at Hoffman’s apartment. Blanchett, who first worked with the fellow Oscar winner in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, flew in from California, where she had been at a film festival Saturday night, to rush to the family’s side.

In a touching gesture, Blanchett arrived with toys at the home Hoffman shared until recently with O’Donnell and their three young children. Hoffman had reportedly arranged to meet his children at a nearby playground, before his addiction claimed his life.

Broadway announced Monday that it would dim its lights for one minute at 7:45 pm on Wednesday in memory of the celebrated stage and screen actor. Charlotte St Martin, executive director of the Broadway League, described Hoffman as a ‘true artist who loved theatre’.

“There are lots of people we’re all aware of who have had abuse issues and it’s just shocking and terrifying that it can rear its head,” she added, according to the Daily Mail.

Hoffman’s The Hunger Games co-stars and crew, including Jennifer Lawrence, Mockingjay director Francis Lawrence, author Suzanne Collins, and producers Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik have released a joint statement following the news of his passing: “Words cannot convey the devastating loss we are all feeling right now. Philip was a wonderful person and an exceptional talent, and our hearts are breaking. Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to his family,” reports Entertainment Weekly.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2014.

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