Philip Seymour Hoffman

It stinks having to write this. The news of Philip Seymour Hoffman's death today by an apparent heroin overdose is just incredibly sad. I've always loved Hoffman's work, particularly in the films of Paul Thomas Anderson. His work in Boogie Nights and Magnolia is just incredibly creative and heartfelt. Looking for the right photo to use here, I was struck by how many of the shots out there are of him smiling. He worked in such a wide variety of films and was respected by everyone. Seemingly a man at the top of his craft, happy with his success, he would never have to look for work - work found him. It's tragic when any person - not just creative ones - suffer with addictions and demons in seeming silence. I had never heard anything about Hoffman and a drug habit. I think for most of us, today's news came as a hell of a shock. Whatever comes out in the news about Hoffman's struggles in his private life, he was certainly a generous performer and seemed to pour conviction, heart and humanity into each role he played. Yeah, this is a sad one.