RIP: Philip Seymour Hoffman
 

The actor was found dead this morning of an apparent overdose.

Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead after apparent drug overdose: cops | New York Post

He was only 46? Wow.

Had no idea of his past issues with drugs. Very sad. His performance in "Charlie Wilson's War" was incredible.

Let It Rain!

Damn. That sucks. I really enjoyed his work. Any movie he was in, I would immediately consider watching for the benign reason that I knew that his character would be watchable.

"That had not occurred to us, Dude."

Nuts. He was an incredibly talented actor. His portrayal of Truman Capote was masterful.

Very sad to hear this, I loved his work. One of the few actors out there who could get me interested in a film just because he was in it.

TMZ reporting the cops found him with the needle still in his arm

Really talented actor. As the years roll by it becomes clear to me that no matter what your level of success or stature, everyone is dealing with their own serious life issues.

Aww Damn,

he is one of my favorite actors. This sucks.

RIP

Awful. He went to my school in Fairport, New York. My brother was classmates with him I believe, although I think they were merely acquaintances. It's always the talented guys that die young. R.I.P.

Wow this sucks - one of the best actors around in my opinion.

This. Just too bad.

Damn. He always had this darkness to him but I never guessed he was an addict. So fucking brilliant, it's such a waste.

Oh damn NO!

He is one of my favorites to see in movies. He is a massively talented actor who is one of the rare ones who can totally own a role. So sad to see him gone.

Can't feel bad for a guy who voluntarily sticks a needle in his arm and injects himself with poison.

I don't think anyone here is feeling bad for him. I think people are just upset to see such a rare talent suddenly disappear from existence, regardless of the reason.

G-MEN!

It boggles the mind that someone in his position would take heroin - although I'm sure it's more widespread than I realise.

There are so many better drugs that do similar things that you can abuse. I can't see still doing heroin.

Yeah, that's my thinking too. It's like... everyone now knows all too well what the end-game is for heroin abuse. Seriously.

Sure, but I can feel bad for a guy who seems to have everything going for him and still feels he needs to turn to this kind of stuff. It's human tragedy, even if self inflicted.

This is terrible news.

One of the finest actors of this generation without a doubt. Could make anything (like MI:3) watchable.

I know his big characters were all that people remember but his work in indies is excellent.

Specifically I enjoyed him in Love Liza, Jack Goes Boating, Pirate Radio, The Ides of March and The Savages.

I'm sure I'll go on a binge of his movies now.

I can, because he was a human being, created in the image of God. The one who knew him best loved him completely and thoroughly, and thus I should to.

He let me take any rug in the place. I will never forget that.

I got nothing.

I was always impressed with what he did. He was so incredibly good in Capote. This might be one of the few actors I actually somewhat cared about seeing pass away.

This one sucks, but goddamn.. Who else is on heroin? Why can't they just smoke really really good weed? Surely that would be preferable to spiraling into oblivion.

It's a damn shame. He struggled, he tried to get help BUT in the words of Keith Richards from My Life:

"It's not only the high quality of drugs I had that I attribute my survival to. I was very meticulous about how much I took. I'd never put more in to get a little higher. That's where most people f*ck up on drugs. It's the greed involved that never really affected me. People think once they've got this high, if they take some more they're going to get a little higher. There's no such thing. Especially with cocaine … Maybe that's a measure of control and maybe I'm rare in that respect. Maybe there I have an advantage."

Aside from the big names of the past (Jim Morrison, John Belushi, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin) more recent celebrities killed by the drug include the late Corey Monteith (from Glee)and Chris Kelly (from Kriss Kross). Survivors with an acknowledged past include Russell Brand and Angelina Jolie.

I thought Brand in particular had a notable quote recently "The last time I thought about heroin was yesterday"

This stuff doesnt sadden me anymore. I feel a loss because of the characters I wont see in movies played by him. I feel saddened for his family but I no longer feel sadness for the person who took their own life.

In other news Smoking causes Cancer.

A terrible shame, and waste.

I can feel sad for him because he likely experienced a lot of suffering and turmoil through his addiction. I wish things would've turned out differently for him.

Tragedy all around.

From what I've read, it goes so far beyond a physical high. All your stresses and problems are gone but it's more than that, it's an enlightenment on top of it, like 10 years of successful therapy all at once. And all you have to give up in exchange is your soul. Heroin owns you like other drugs don't. Hoffman and others knew it would probably kill them, but they didn't care, not when they're chasing that high, or for addicts, when they're chasing normal.

God creates heroin users?


I agree with Flash. He created his own suffering and turmoil. The family are ones who are innocently suffering from his addiction.

Well, God creates everyone - so yeah, heroin users too ;).

I'd never heard of the guy before the news broke that he died. (I don't think I've seen more than 3 new movies in a given calendar year since the late 90s.) But reading this snippet about someone who was clearly talented and successful in his chosen field does make me feel pity for him:

When I broke my foot, I was put on Percoset for a month to help deal with the intense pain as I recovered. When it was time to stop taking the Percoset, that was probably the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life. At that time, I had someone living with me who really cared about me and helped me through that situation. But if I didn't, I can't say I wouldn't have turned into a horrible addict. There's a thin line between people like me and the Hoffmans or Monteiths of the world. I could have easily been in their situation. I have beaten addiction so far, but it has been harder than anything else I've done. Going back to college and getting my degree was a piece of cake in comparison. Thus, I do feel sadness for someone who loses that battle. Similarly, I feel sadness for a smoker who dies of lung cancer. an alcoholic who dies of liver disease, or someone who puts a gun in their mouth and pulls the trigger. These are all incredibly sad and tragic situations.

Thanks for sharing, I mean that sincerely, I can't imagine your struggle.

My problem is, and maybe it makes me an asshole, is I have a hard time caring or feeling bad for someone who has all the means in the world to battle their addictions and chooses not to.

IIRC, Hoffman did go into rehab last year.

If they have all the means to battle it, then they also have all the means to give in to it.

Yeah, he was sober for 20 years before relapsing and checking into rehab in May of last year.

I can't pretend to know what it's like to be an addict, but I've read enough about it to know that it's not something you can just spend away. There's no amount of money that cures it. But money can help speed your decline (heroin ain't cheap).

all true.

I guess I'm just an asshole

Not an asshole, I think it's just impossible to really understand what it's like to be in that situation, especially with heroin. I've read quite a bit and talked to a lot of people trying to understand it, and I've come to the conclusion that I can't possibly understand. You're right in that it makes so practical sense from a logical perspective to go down that road. There's a reason that drug counselors are so often addicts themselves.

From what I've read, he was in rehab in 2012, as well as once or twice before then.

And I can understand how someone can get hooked. Awhile back, I was given Oxycodone (generic Percoset) for when I had my wisdom teeth taken out. Or maybe it was for my migraines. I don't remember exactly what it was for. I certainly do remember how that drug made me feel. When I'm 90 and my brains are scrambled eggs, if I remember one thing from my life....it'll be how awesome sex without a condom is. But if I have a second memory, it'll be how I felt after popping two Oxycodone.

Luckily, I didn't have much pain. I only took them for a few days, so I didn't go through withdrawal like larry did. But if I had to take them for two weeks or longer, and felt that awesome feeling every day, I don't doubt I would have been a mess at the end of it.

Think of how awesome an orgasm feels. Now imagine that it was bad for you and you should never have one again. Multiply that by about 100.

So the cure for heroin addiction is marriage?

I highly suggest for people to read stories like Junky and Naked Lunch from William S Burroughs. Two novels that were fueled by a man writing while hooked on heroin.

Yeah, my stepfather has been an addiction counselor for 40 years. The best comparison I've heard him make is an addict cravings to the worst possible case of diarrhea you can imagine. Multiplied to whatever factor you need to take it beyond your imagination. Maybe it's because I'm still changing my kid's diapers, but that somehow made sense to me.

RIP PSH.

He had a kind of interesting degree of fame. Just from my facebook wall, there's a lot of people expressing sadness and admiration, then a lot of people wondering who the hell he was, and then there's a lot of responses of bewilderment that someone couldn't know who he was.