Our Hearts Break: Philip Seymore Hoffman Pronounced Dead

The Oscar-winning actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who stole my heart in Capote was found dead in his Manhattan apartment today. It is okay to cry a bit. Hoffman was 46 years old.

Hoffman appears to have passed away due to a drug overdose. According to the report from CNN, the actor was found in his bathroom and was pronounced dead at the scene. Law enforcement officials said that investigators found two bags of what is believed to be heroin inside the fourth-floor apartment.

“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,” Hoffman’s family said in a statement. “Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers.”

It was only last year that Hoffman revealed he had entered rehab to deal with a drug problem. He revealed to TMZ that he’d kicked a substance abuse habit for 23 years but recently relapsed. In a 2011 interview with “60 Minutes,” he discussed his past struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.

“Anything I could get my hands on, I liked it all,” he said.

Asked why he decided to sober up, he replied, “You get panicked. … I was 22 and I got panicked for my life, it really was, it was just that.’ and I always think, God, I have so much empathy for these young actors that are 19 and all of a sudden are beautiful and famous and rich. I’m like, ‘Oh my God. I’d be dead.'”

Over the last decade, Hoffman has captured the hearts of fans all over the world. He won an  Academy Award for best actor for the 2005 biopic Capote.

“He just loved those deep, dense characters. That’s where I think he found his true calling.”

Hoffman also appeared in critically acclaimed films Charlie Wilson’s War, Doubt, and The Master for which he was nominated as best supporting actor.