Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won a best actor Oscar in 2006 for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in Capote, was found dead in his Manhattan home Sunday. Hoffman died of an apparent drug overdose.
The death, from an apparent drug overdose, was confirmed by the police. Mr. Hoffman was found in the apartment by a friend who had become concerned after being unable to reach him. Investigators found a syringe in his arm and, nearby, an envelope containing what appeared to be heroin.
Mr. Hoffman was long known to struggle with addiction. In 2006, he said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that he had given up drugs and alcohol many years earlier, when he was 22. Last year he checked into a rehabilitation program for about 10 days after a reliance on prescription pills resulted in his briefly turning again to heroin.
“We were just talking about Philip Seymour Hoffman who tragically, tragically died of a drug overdose,” Glenn said on radio this morning. “Hollywood wants to look into everybody else's problems, and they want to solve the world's problems. Hollywood really should focus on their problems.”
Hoffman had long struggled with addiction, and he was believed to have been 23 years sober before relapsing last fall. As Pat explained, sometimes people just aren’t ready to accept the help they need.
“Sometimes people don't want to be helped,” Pat said. “They have to want help.”
Glenn, who has been open about his own battle with alcoholism, explained the importance of being surrounded by positive influences.
“The media will say, ‘Oh, how could we have saved him?’ Nothing. I mean, the best thing you can do is get rid of everybody in your life that was enabling,” Glenn said. “I will tell you this: When I proposed to my wife and she said yes, Tania said, ‘You ever start drinking, I'm gone. No ifs, ands or buts. I'm gone.’”
“That's pretty good incentive, if you care about somebody,” Pat added.
The ultimatum is not just a ‘good incentive,’ it is the ‘best thing’ someone can do for those they love. Tough love really is the only way to help the person hit true rock bottom.
“It's the best thing… Make sure he knows quickly and clearly: I'm done with you,” Glenn said. “You want to come make up after? Fine. But show me the action. And that's the only thing you can do.”
“Who is his agent? Because you know he made a lot of money on Hoffman. So who's his agent? Who are the handlers? Were any of them recently saying… ‘Right now you have two choices: I either dump you or I take you to the hospital. Which is it going to be, Philip?’ And you really dump them,” Glenn explained. “And if you're like, ‘Well, I wanted to be his friend.’ No, that's not going to help him because he'll never find his bottom. And maybe his bottom is going to be living underneath a bridge – one of the greatest actors to living under a bridge. Well, then that's where he belongs so he can find he way back out… [It’s] really sad."
Front page image courtesy of the AP