This past Sunday, screenwriter David Bar Katz visited the home of award-winning actor and Rochester native, Philip Seymour Hoffman, but didn’t expect to find him unconscious. The actor was pronounced dead at the scene of a suspected heroine overdose.

During his career, Hoffman had been nominated for three Tony Awards, and four Academy Awards, which includes an Oscar win for his role as the titular writer in Capote. Some of his most memorable performances include his Broadway turn as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, and his roles in films such as Boogie Nights, Almost Famous, The Big Lebowski, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Master.

William Cala, the Fairport Central School District’s Interim Superintendent, issued a statement honoring the local actor, saying:


    “It is with great sadness that we learn of the untimely death of our friend and former student Philip Seymour Hoffman. Phil was an icon in Fairport not solely due to his incredible talent and recognized accomplishments on stage and in the movies, but rather due to his love of his alma mater and his willingness to return periodically to share his wit and wisdom. Phil was a member of our Fairport family who was inducted into the Wall of Fame in 2006 at Fairport High School. He will be terribly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, three children and his mother, Marilyn O’Connor.”

In a 2006 interview on 60 Minutes, Hoffman spoke about his substance abuse struggles as a young adult, saying “It was everything I could get my hands on. I liked it all.” In the interview, he said that he first entered rehab for drug and alcohol addiction at the young age of 22.

What’s most troubling about the beloved star’s untimely demise is that it is only one of thousands of deaths due to drug overdose, which have been rising steadily for the past two decades, according the Centers for Disease Control and prevention.

The drug problem is beyond prevalent in the United States. Not only was it the leading cause of injury death in 2010, but an estimated 105 die in the U.S. every day due to a drug overdose, with another 6,748 being treated in emergency departments for the misuse or abuse of drugs.

The American drug problem affects all levels of society. In fact, there are nearly 10 million American children from ages 12 to 20 who have reported using alcohol in the past 30 days, with another 2.5 million U.S. teens reporting to have abused drugs or alcohol during school hours.

Like too many others, Hoffman leaves behind his legacy — his numerous, memorable, past roles and his upcoming releases such as the next two installments of The Hunger Games. Hoffman is survived by Mimi O’Donnell, his partner of 15 years, and their three children.

“Dear Philip, a beautiful beautiful soul,” fellow actor Jim Carrey wrote of the late star on Twitter. “For the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much. Bless your heart.”

[Photo courtesy of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film.]