Tragically, Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46, was found dead early Sunday morning on February 2, in his New York City apartment.

Screenwriter Dan Katz, a friend of Hoffman’s, arrived at his apartment at 11:30 am EST to find him dead on the floor of his bathroom, from an apparent drug overdose, with a syringe in his arm.

Hoffman has three children with his longtime girlfriend Mimi O’Donnell.

According to The LA Times, just last month, Hoffman went to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah to promote the drama A Most Wanted Man, set for release this year, in which he portrays a grizzled counter-terrorism operative.

Hoffman rose to fame as a drug-addled groupie wannabe in Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed hit Boogie Nights. Since then, he won an Oscar for his riveting portrayal as the distinguished Truman Capote in the film Capote. He returned to collaborate with director P. T. Anderson in the film The Master for which he was again nominated for an Academy Award.

Most recently, Hoffman’s performance on Broadway as Willy Loman in the classic theatre piece “Death of a Salesman” earned him honest acclaim. Despite mixed reviews of the Mike Nichols’ rendition, Hoffman himself earned a Tony nomination for his performance as the personification of the American dream and its hardships.

Philip’s love of the theatre started at an early age. While attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hoffman became increasingly transfixed with the theatre, dedicating his life to his craft, and at the same time, getting sober for the first time. Hoffman admitted in an interview with “60 Minutes” that he “liked it all” and that he would do “anything he could get his hands on.” At the age of 22, Hoffman decided to give up drugs and alcohol and pursue his lifelong career as an esteemed and talented actor.

The LA Times reports that Hoffman was slated to star and executive produce in the upcoming Showtime comedy “Happyish” for which a pilot had already been filmed and ten episodes had been written. Hoffman was also scheduled to direct the Prohibition-era drama Ezekiel Moss, co-starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The tragic news of Hoffman’s death comes as a shock to those in the artistic community and to those who thoroughly enjoyed his movies as fans, as well. His deadly return to drugs, after a brief stint in rehab, after his relapse in 2012, proves the fatal nature of addiction.

Another loss of one of the greats to one of the greatest sicknesses of our time.