Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Sunday afternoon, according to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, both of which source the news to unnamed law-enforcement officials. The New York Post says cops are attributing the death to “an apparent drug overdose” and that he was found “with a hypodermic needle still stuck in his arm.” (TMZ also reports the needle-in-the-arm detail.)
The Wall Street Journal says officials are still investigating the cause of death but notes the 46-year-old Hoffman was found in the bathroom of his Greenwich Village apartment by screenwriter David Katz, who called 911. And CNN reports that police found what they believe to be heroin inside the apartment.
Hoffman had been quite open about his battles with substance abuse explaining to TMZ last year that he had struggled with drugs in his early 20s but kicked the habit for two decades. Hoffman said he relapsed in 2012, starting with pills and escalating to snorting heroin, which is when he realized he had a problem. Hoffman reportedly only snorted heroin for about a week before realizing he needed help and checked himself into a rehab clinic in May of last year.
In January, 2006, Slate’s Meghan O’Rourke interviewed Hoffman after he was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Truman Capote. He won the Oscar.
This post has been updated with new information since it was originally published.
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