The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment on Sunday morning of an apparent drug overdose, according to a law enforcement official who requested anonymity because he was not certain the actor’s family had been informed of the death.
The official said Mr. Hoffman, 46, was found in his West Village apartment around 11:30 a.m. by a friend who had become concerned at not being able to reach Mr. Hoffman.
Investigators found a syringe in his arm and an envelope containing what is believed to be heroin, the official said.
“It’s pretty apparent that it was an overdose,” the official said. “The syringe was in his arm.”
Mr. Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 2005 film “Capote,” in which he portrayed the writer Truman Capote.
He had undergone treatment for drug addiction in the past, and spoke in interviews about “falling off the wagon” last year after remaining clean for 23 years.
By around 2 p.m, more than a hundred people had gathered outside the address where the actor was found, in a brick apartment building on Bethune Street. The crowd was growing by the minute.
As people passed, they stopped, snapped photos, held hands and watched. They seemed to be waiting.
“He’s a local. He’s a fixture in this neighborhood,” said Christian McCulloch, 39, who said that he lives nearby. “You see him with his kids in the coffee shops, he is so sweet. It’s desperately sad.”
At a short distance from the crowd, two men who identified themselves as friends embraced, sobbing.
A woman answering the phone at Mr. Hoffman’s New York production company declined to comment. “I don’t have a comment at this time on that, thank you,” she said,
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