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http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304626804579358943360702878 (http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304626804579358943360702878)

"Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday afternoon in his New York City apartment, a law-enforcement official said. The New York Police Department is investigating, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to determine the exact cause of death. The official said Mr. Hoffman, 46 years old, was found dead at his apartment at 35 Bethune St. in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan."

One of my favorite actors. Scent Of A Woman, Big Lebowski, Capote. He will be very missed.

This is the most surprising sad news I've had in a long time--worse even than Lou Reed for me, in that I knew he was ill. Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of two actors (along with John C Reilly) I make a point of seeing. His work with PT Anderson ranks among my favorite body of work by any actor, ever.

NY Times says heroin overdose.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/movies/philip-seymour-hoffman-actor-dies-at-46.html?hp

Wonder if this has to do with the surge in heroin overdoses across the nation in that last few weeks (apparently due to a bad mixture). Either way, such a shame. He'll go down as one of the greats, that's for sure.

Oh, jeez. This is certainly a surprise.

Sad to hear this.

RIP to a Hollywood great.

Gutted. Horrible news.

I'm not too familiar with his work as I've only seen him in Boogie Nights, Charlie Wilson's War, and the brilliant The Boat That Rocked.

Still, it comes as a major shock.

R.I.P. The Count  :'(

One of the greatest actors of our time, that's for sure.  Gone way too soon but left behind some incredible performances.  To start, you should all do yourselves a favor and check out Capote, Synecdoche, New York, and The Master if you never have and witness the talent this guy had.

This is very shocking and tragic news. RIP Hoffman.  :-[

What a sad affair. One of my favorite actors.

This stinks.  Fcking Heroin?  Ugh.

Anyway, he was certainly a fantastic actor -- just really starting to become a headlining legend.  I was really impressed with how he so seemingly became his character.  Take Big Lebowski.  A seemingly forgettable character -- an unlikable little, ass-kisser -- and he did it so well, you think he's just playing himself.  Because he played him so well, you easily overlook it as just some character actor who just always plays that role.  But that wasn't the case.  He just did it so damn well that you don't notice any acting.  Very few artists are that good.

Just a few ramblings. I had just seen Capote for the first time a few weeks ago, and was amazed. Well deserved Oscar...that was one of the greatest roles I have seen an actor play in recent years, it's more like a transformation than a role. Stunning. Essential viewing.

At what point does the appeal and glamour of heroin start to fade in light of this and the scores of other tragic deaths and overdoses that have taken some of the all-time great talents?

And as much as I'm favoring some forms of drug legalization proposals, heroin should NOT...should fucking NOT EVER...be a part of that. It's a fucking insidious scourge that continues to kill and harm, and if anyone can point to a success story related to shooting smack, let me know because it doesn't exist. Sure, it pulses through the veins and in that momentary glow can lead to some inspired art and music and all of that, but the ultimate effects are nothing but bad. Hey, we got Bird Parker reinventing jazz, we got Billie Holiday, we got Janis, we got "Sticky Fingers", we got any number of classic albums and performances and all of that...and look where it led. We got Belushi in a grave, Bird in a grave, Billie in a grave, Janis, River, now Philip will join them.

John Frusciante - a brilliant creative musician, off-the-wall, dancing to his own beat, but capable of sublime and moving music - look at what happened to him. From successful albums and creativity and praise from his peers and fans to an interview after he had left the RHCP the first time where he was so strung out and so incoherent he could barely speak let alone move. He was so strung out there was a story about his apartment catching fire and him not even being aware of it until people stepped in.

And he was there and part of the circle when the early 90's chapter of the Young Hollywood heroin overdose tragedy took place when River Phoenix collapsed in the street outside the Viper Room after an OD. He and River went on a binge, coke, heroin, all of that glamorous stuff for days before they showed up at the club for a band performance including River, Flea, and other notables, hosted by Johnny Depp...and River according to a new account from this fall actually tapped a friend on the shoulder in the club, after coke had been passed around, and said to him *I think I'm OD'ing* before leaving the club and collapsing outside in the street. Flea rode in the ambulance with him to the hospital. Too late.

Glamorous stuff, right? Hollywood partying and rock and roll at the Viper Room. It's amazing John Frusciante survived and is still alive.

His teeth rotted out from the drug use and he needed a mouth full of implants and surgical repair, he needed plastic surgery and skin grafts on his arms to repair the needle damage which had destroyed his skin, and various other treatments to help repair the damage he did to himself. He cleaned up, rededicated himself to making music, and lived to tell about it. And for people who like his music, he's still making music in 2014.

Philip was found with a needle in his arm and all that's left is a stack of DVD's we can watch and witness his art, and talent.

Heroin in 2014? It's a waste.

It hasn't been linked to Philip yet, but just in the western areas of Pennsylvania there have been 22 reported deaths in the past two weeks due to batches of heroin that have been spiked and blended with fentanyl. It's not a bad mixture, it's a deliberate blend designed to give a knockout punch of a fix. 22 deaths, and those are only in one region of one state, and only those which have been reported so far. Do the math, that's more than one death every day in just two weeks due to this stuff.

Maybe Philip's death isn't connected, but I don't think it would be a surprise if it is eventually reported to have been a similar batch of the heroin/fentanyl blend.

"I think I would have drank myself to death, literally, if I didn't just stop, once and for all when I did."

"I am not ever going to preach to anyone about drugs or drinking. But, for me, when they were around, I had no self control."

Quotes from Hoffman himself.

Those might be quotes from Hoffman... I think GF2002 is on to something, with his analysis of clusters of OD's.  And there are so many factors here not even being discussed.  First, the oxycontin that was sort of a " defective product" which became approved because of Big Pharma's long and powerful reach. It was designed to ease cancer and other severe pain, but part of the manufacturing process is supposed to "build in" the potential for abuse.  The drug was known to cause a heroin high when chewed or snorted, and the time-release element was interrupted by the "crushing" factor.  And the drug was released and pushed into the distribution chain, via aggressive drug reps, keeping tabs on docs, with "report cards" for numbers of prescriptions written.  Some docs got nice vacations for filling up those prescription pads. And, left catastrophe in their wake.

Kentucky got some treatment in one of the earlier cases about 10 years ago. 

Second, the industry that has caused the addiction has not stepped up to do the rehab.  They've left it to taxpayers.  Only a few courageous states have forced the industry with lawsuits, to pay for their misdeeds.  I'm not condemning Hoffman. 

Last night I caught fantastic CNN's British Invasion, which featured our Boys, among the stars and drivers of the music revolution of the 60's. Following the airing, there was a special segment on Philip, and there was a woman interviewed, (recovering alcoholic) who talked about Hoffman's relapse post 23 years of sobriety.  It seemed to follow a "prescription" for an injury.  It seemed he suffered.  And, he had been in a short treatment last May.  This woman said the shortness of treatment was not enough, in her opinion.

Many(I mean many!)! of my former preschool students are dead from OD.  Most came from loving families, and got caught in a vortex of trouble that they couldn't control.  I don't have an answer, but a lot of questions about how the medical industry gets a pass, when they are often the problem, but not the solution, and "duck," when the hard questions such as the origins of addiction might be attributed to them. 

A tragedy all around...
. 

I think heroin (and any substance abuse) is immoral -- if it robs someone of their passions, destiny and life -- it's evil.  Period.  Once it starts doing that -- it's evil.  And that's all that it is.

Think about it.  Sex, food and all sorts of vices do the same when abused and used to fill voids in people's lives.  And it's immoral if that's what someone is using it for.  And they must realize that, if that's the case.  And change it.  Address the void with passion and curiosity, and with a sense of adventure.  That's the journey. That's the novel.  They'll never get to the next chapter if they don't.

We're all flawed human-creatures and we lean on things from time to time.  So, I'm not talking about that.  I'm not talking about coffee in the morning and a few beers to relax in the evening.  Or a big mac when you're lazy -- or splurging on a new guitar when you're in a "to hell with this day" mood.  I'm talking about the lie that evil tells us, and the big truth it's hiding.  Heroin is far too powerful and too addictive and seductive that it does those horrible things in spades.

But the libertarian in me, doesn't believe in making things illegal.  Because people still use them.  Rightly or wrongly.  Prohibition brought about a lot of deaths from bad booze.  And this is likely the case with a lot of "illegal" drugs today.  Would you buy aspirin from some weirdo on a street corner who constantly scratches his nutz?  I suspect you wouldn't -- because that gentlemen is likely not a responsible pharmacist, who's concerned with making quality aspirin.  But that's what would happen if one needed aspirin and it were made illegal.

People are going to do these things -- and not only do they get "bad batches" but they employ a bunch of irresponsible "pharmacists" who scratch their balls.  Just like how the Volstead Act did nothing but employ gangsters.  Or banning guns disarms the lawful and arms the lawless.  There are studies and examples where legalizing reduces abuse.  Shocking, I know -- but the only people who are not smoking pot are probably the people who should -- the lawful.

Tell your kids not too smoke -- and they will.  Guarantee it.  Doesn't mean you shouldn't tell them, of course.  But deny them -- and they'll likely smoke more.

Try it on yourself.  What's worse -- someone telling you, "you can never have another glass of beer as long as you live!"  Or, you, by chance, just never getting around to having one, cuz you forgot or something?

Again I'll say I'm for legalizing certain substances *to a point*, but to put heroin on that list is just irresponsible (IMO) and ignores the instant addictive qualities of that drug and the way it reacts in someone's system. Crack is the same way, more or less, ask yourself if there is anybody who is a "casual user" of heroin or crack who just decides to shoot up or take a hit of crack on a Saturday night to unwind, and that's the extent of it?

This, to be honest, is where the libertarian movement loses me. We could drink a glass of wine with lunch and dinner, crack open beers after work every night, enjoy a smoke, hell, even take a few recreational bong hits or whatever...and you'd be hard pressed to compare any of those effects in any medical or theoretical way to someone shooting junk or smoking crack.

And prescription painkillers, as I said here about a year ago, would seem to be an example against across-the-board legalization because even as a fully legal yet tightly-controlled, regulated, and monitored prescription drug, look at the kind of havoc it has caused for people across social and economic lines. It's just a damn shame, really, but if the abuses exist to the degree which they do surrounding prescription painkillers like oxycodone/oxycontin and percosets and the other forms, what would happen with something as near-instantly addictive and potentially instantly deadly as heroin?

Sure, but just think about all the tax money we could get for the sales. Not to mention the $$ folks could get for being smack salespeople withot having to worry about gettiing arrested...

What a great actor. What a stupid way to go. The needle was still in his arm when he was found. What a stupid waste of a great talent. He was just starting to build a reputation of a future "Hollywood legend".

Funny that John Frusciante was mentioned. I have a strange love/hate relationship with his first two solo albums, Niandra Lades/Usually Just A T-shirt, and Smile From The Streets You Hold. They fascinate and intrigue me, yet scare the hell out of me at the same time. They're the audio equivalent of the proverbial car crash you can't look away from. 

Ah, yes.  The tax revenue.   :lol  Good point, bgas.  Perhaps even more evil than heroin -- government, and those who want it.

(http://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/clinton2.jpg)

Government.  Robbing more souls than heroin could ever dream of.
Hillary:  Oooooooh!!!
Satan's Ass-Licker (Terry McAuliffe):  No, no he didn't go there...


Yes, Terrald -- I did go there.  I wouldn't consider you or your scarlet-clad dealer, "casual users of the Government,"  Would you?  No.  Nobody here is that ignorant.




Fun Fact:  the poster in back is after "women."

Wait, I thought the government RAN THE FREAKING ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE!!!!! ..... Or at least spent the laundered money....

Good points, Bean and Guitarfool..... I've seen heroin (in particular) rob too many friends of their lives and passions...... but I'm so split on this issue and can see all sides/points that I'd best not comment any further....

Seems like this topic is really hot...

A while back, I saw a program on 60 Minutes about Dr. Nora Volkow.  Incredible background but more incredible work.  Head of the NIDA, the National Insititute of Drug Abuse.  She actually maintains a medicai practice, and puts the patients in a brain scanner which shows hot spots in the brain which have been drug damaged.  Not unlike an x-ray that shows a broken leg.  It takes all the moral and value judgments out of the equation.  She treats the brain as another injured body part,

Then she puts them in a running program and periodically rescans their brain, to show the incremental progress in treatment. 

The video should be online and it is so impressive, and well worth the watch.  CBS is the network.

That sounds like a good idea.  The brain is just like any other tissue -- susceptible to damage, and can malfunction like everything else on earth.  And we desperately need to further our understanding of and treatment of the mind.

To be clear -- this is not at all, at odds with morality and the point I was making about behaviors (drug abuse in this case) becoming an "evil" if it ends up robbing people of their passions, destiny, and life.  If something supplants the journey and joys of our life -- with only its journey and its joy -- then, I think that is immoral and evil.  Not too mention, it has repercussions beyond the individual.  In this case, the world was robbed of anymore Phillip Seymour Hoffman performances.  His family and friends of his person.  And he of his life.

But repairing a damaged brain, that resulted from the evil, may only be medically based.  Just to be clear -- I wasn't sure what you meant with taking the "moral and value judgments out of the equation."  Because to me, good/evil, right/wrong is the denominator.  Or maybe the numerator.  Anyone here good with fractions?

Bean Bag - I have zero math skills!

The prefrontal cortex (I'm not a doc, but just from reading) is the problem.  Once it is damaged, whether from a mother getting opiates in labor (yes, they used to use them, or a workers' comp injury, say falling off a roof) and that part of the brain is impacted (just like a broken leg) it never forgets.  The "mind" might forget, but not the part of the brain.  It is like an old broken (healed) elbow or knee that can "tell you when it will rain."  It is healed, but the body part "remembers." Sort of like getting arthritis in a limb where you had a fracture...

Now, with advanced imaging, it can be ascertained how much damage there is. And, Dr. Volkow puts her patients in a running program because aerobic activity can build new "endorphins" which can be helpful.  It isn't mainstream yet, but seems to make the most sense to me.  And, at this point with 50% of the US jails with people who have drug related offenses, what do we have to lose? 

The video was amazing.  And, it makes sense.  Treat an injured brain, like an injured leg or arm.  And change the way we approach things.  Not much else seems to be working and we can't afford to lose people to this. 

So even after twenty years of sobriety, all it took was one little slip up(he snorted heroin last year, I believe), and that part of the brain kicked in, causing a downward spiral which eventually led to him od'ing in a room with sixty five bags of heroin? Damn.  :o

The huge number of bags tells me it's highly likely he'd been back on the smack for somewhat longer than a few days, or even weeks.

I read in an article over at Slate that he had started getting back on the drug in 2012 and had been in a downward spiral ever since.  Somehow it seems even more of a shame that he had beaten his addiction for so long before this  happened.

Keep an eye on that heroin-fetanyl blend I mentioned on page one, as that's apparently one of the main speculations as they're investigating the death.

It came out over that last day or so that Hoffman had indeed hit a major downward spiral that led to his partner throwing him out over the drug use, the sheer number of bags found in his place at the scene as was mentioned, and also one of his last public appearances at a film festival where he told one of the attendees, unprompted, that he was an addict.

On the plane ride back, he was passed out for most of it, and when he got to the airport he had to call for one of those electric carts to give him a lift through the terminal as he was too weak to walk on his own. And reports are too that in the past weeks he looked disheveled and unclean when people did see him, like he was letting himself go.

As for the heroin-fetanyl blend that's being looked at in the investigation, I reported Pennsylvania had reached a death toll of 22 so far, on those areas which have reported it, and two other northeastern US states have reported deaths due specifically to this blend which counted together are around 100 OD deaths in the past few weeks.

Fetanyl is an extremely potent drug which is given to late-term cancer patients for pain, some have described it as "100 times more powerful" than other painkillers.

Damn.

There's an article just released by the associated press saying that preliminary tests haven't shown any traces of fetanyl.  Those aren't official, though, so we can't be sure yet.

http://gma.yahoo.com/police-hoffman-heroin-didn-t-additive-death-investigation-072907825--abc-news-topstories.html

Thanks for posting this new info. I read the article, and my frustration level rose just a bit at the fact the NYPD released such a statement. Why say what it's *not* when the official results have not been released? I don't get that. And why does it take a month to confirm if it is a blend or if it is the "Ace Of Spades" trademark that the found with those four idiots they arrested who were selling those bags?

Quote:
Officials initially wondered if the heroin found at Hoffman’s apartment contained fentanyl, a potent synthetic morphine linked to 22 suspected overdose deaths in western Pennsylvania. While official toxicology results are forthcoming – they’ll likely be released next month – preliminary tests of the heroin showed no traces of fentanyl, NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis told ABC News.

It takes a month to run a basic test beyond what this spokesman said to find traces of such an identifiable substance such as fentanyl?

Something doesn't seem right here. You usually deny when you're trying to cover something up, rather than just saying "we won't know until the tests come back and it can be confirmed." And why even say there were *no traces* of fentanyl when the answer should have been "we don't know at this point"?

See what I'm getting upset about here?

Fucking New York City anyway, let's not address some potentially deadly sh*t going around in a week when "Hizzoner" the mayor announces major policy moves on Islamic holidays in the public schools and boycotting the St. Patrick's Day parade. Enjoy.

I admit that I've been following this story on Piers Morgan and the Dr. Drew Show. This post has nothing to do with the merits or credibility of those two shows.

It is intriguing to me because, with the recent discussion on Dennis and Brian's addiction (and basically being a Beach Boy diehard), there are a lot of similarities. You have a celebrity, an artist, who had talent, money, loved ones, and everything to live for, only to lose it all to addiction. Again, despite what you might think about the above shows, they are discussing the subject in great detail, and it is very educational to me. Yeah, you know much of it (again, through threads on here), but a lot is new and it does reinforce some points that you might doubt.

Just don't see where it matters whether theer was Fentanyl, or not. He was back on the stuff and it was only a matter of time before this happened, based on his recent past.  He's gone either way. 

The latest reports that I've read stated that about four arrests have been made in direct connection with the heroin found in his apartment. Which raises an interesting question, whether or not arrests are being made just because it involves a celebrity. Why is it that the drug dealers who may have contributed to Phillip Seymour Hoffman's death are being brought to justice, when the drug dealers who sold the drugs that killed Joe Q Public get to slip away back into the darkness? But then again, it's the drug addicts own stupid fault for taking the drugs in the first place, right? I recall reading about the actor Carol O'Conner bringing to justice the guy who sold cocaine to his son, who later overdosed and died on the drug. Was it the dealers fault? If they hadn't sold the drugs to the person, then he or she would not have taken them and died. But it was the choice of the addict to take the drug in the first place. It should be the addict and the addict only who should be held accountable, right? Is it fair to arrest the dealers, when it wasn't their choice to have the person ingest the drug? After all, an addict is an addict. Who's to say that the person would die on that particular day, after taking that particular dose of that particular drug? Now, things are very different in the case of the recent Fentanyl-heroin deaths. Somebody cut the heroin with Fentanyl, and contributed to 22 deaths. Something like that is inexcusable, and whoever was behind that should be brought to justice.

The strange thing about the four arrests - there was a threat started in the General Music section about PSH, and there were posts saying, no, he's an actor, not a musician or singer, it goes in the Sandbox.

But three of the four people picked up last night have something to do with music. The young guy whose name slips my mind is a DJ. Tom Cushman, though better known for managing bookstores and doing literary agenting, played guitar in bands in his early 20s and recorded an album-length demo with none other than the late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch singing.

And the guy whom the cops are treating as Mr Big, Robert Aaron, has a very long and impressive resume as a multi-instrumentalist, working with everyone from no-waver James Chance to Bowie to Mick Jagger to Wyclef Jean, with whom he toured for a decade. 

But then again, this is heroin - a drug which somehow always seems to have closer ties to musicians than some other drugs.

Hear me out on this, if I'm wrong - I'm wrong, and feel free to call me out on this as the story develops.

But these arrests look to me like a big Red Herring, and look more like the NYPD trying to make a high-profile media event to show they're on top of the case and making arrests. But the details of this group under arrest, as early as it is, might suggest they're not as involved as the headlines would suggest.

Keep these things in mind:

Whatever Hoffman shot up knocked him out instantly, as the needle was found still stuck in his arm. That would suggest he shot up and before he could even remove the needle, he was out. Did he die instantly, or did he just pass out instantly and die later? That will be revealed, I'm sure. But needless to say, if he shot the junk and it KO'ed him before he could even remove the needle from his arm, that was some seriously strong sh*t. And a strong, potent blend like the heroin/fentanyl mix that has killed over a hundred users in just two weeks, reported only in three regions so far but could include even more deaths, could have that same instant effect due to the potency of that mixture.

Some clarifications:

1. Hoffman's apartment had 70 bags, more than previously reported. Some were marked with the "Ace Of Spades" brand marking.

*None* of that Ace Of Spades batch was found in the apartments of any of those supposed dealers who they arrested. Again, not one had that logo among the junk they were selling.

2. Robert Aaron, the saxophone player who they're naming as the main seller, uses that as a stage name. His real name is Vineberg. He had been selling heroin, but a friend said he had not seen Hoffman since November.

The reason why Vineberg/Aaron was picked up was because Hoffman's cel phone number was found in his cel phone contacts. Again, that Ace brand of smack that was found with Hoffman was not found in Vineberg's place. Logic might suggest if Vineberg had sold the junk to Hoffman, Vineberg would also have some of that same junk. But if he really had not been in contact with Hoffman since November, it might be that Hoffman got the stuff in the bags they found from other sources.

3. The young woman arrested had little or nothing to do with anything here - she was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine or drug paraphernalia, or something related. To drag her into this at this point still does not make sense, unless there is a lot more to the story. But to haul someone in for possession, and put her face across the international media wire services as someone connected to the death of Hoffman seems ridiculous at this time.

4. Heroin is far more prevalent than people want to admit. Consider who these people arrested are, and their backgrounds and economic status. It wouldn't be surprising that Hoffman's name might appear in a dealer's cel phone contact list, but unless the police are concealing far more evidence and proof than they have released, they're arresting a guy who was known in musician circles in New York who may have had dealings with Hoffman, but is there any direct link to recent weeks? Or is it a case where he may have last seen Hoffman in November, and the PD wanted a high-profile arrest?


Just consider this: The NYPD spokesman made it a point to say it was *NOT* the heroin/fetanyl blend responsible for this before the full testing had begun, yet they're arresting a group of people who in one case had nothing more than a misdemeanor offense to be charged with, and another who friends say had not seen Hoffman since the fall, and whose pad had none of the kind of bags with the brand logo that was found in Hoffman's apartment.

So it wasn't heroin/fetanyl...but we have arrested the people responsible for his death?

I just don't buy it at face value, it actually stinks too bad to not think something is rotten here.

And if I'm wrong, I'll stand corrected.

You raise some very good points. I thought it was odd that the NYPD is taking such an interest in a case where the cause of death hasn't even been announced yet. Of course, we all know it was a heroin OD, but it hasn't been made "official" yet. This case is getting weirder and weirder. Now I'm reading that Hoffman may have actually been a dealer, because of the massive amount he was found with.

I feel the same way.  But in a instance like this, it's high profile because he was a famous, bright, talented star.  And people are paying attention.  Including other dope dealers.  That's the kicker.  If the NYPD doesn't crack down, it sends a signal that -- "hey, bad batch... or he OD'ed or something.  Not my problem."  And life goes on.  But by moving swiftly, it's gotta make some think twice about it all.

But I do sympathize with your sentiment.  It often feels like if a little rich white girl turns up missing or worse -- it's a story!!!    If she died, and there's a trial -- ka-ching!!!  For like a year.  But if it's some little black girl in the inner city... meh, the "also column" on the local news.   :'(

Didn't the woman who sold John Belushi whatever it was he OD'd on get sent away for many many years?

Belushi OD'd?  Was that before or after he did Curly Sue?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Belushi

JIM Belushi was in Curly Sue.

Oh MAN!!  Better get back to the bong...

 :lol

Oh, so now you're taking the filledpage route?

 :lol

Posting inside the grid, instead of outside!

Guilty, as charged!  :lol

No detention on Fridays! Only  :beer