Philip Seymour Hoffman

The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died a few days ago of an apparent heroin overdose.

This hits me in a couple of ways; his fall back into addiction after some 23 years of sobriety, of course, since I just celebrated 6 years myself, but that is secondary. First and foremost it hits me because he grew up about five miles from me and was only five years younger.

I don't watch movies, as a rule, but Hoffman was a great actor. I think I first saw him in Boogie Nights. I have no idea why or when I watched that movie, but I did. The only actors I really remember from it are Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy. Other details are starting to come back now - Dirk Diggler, Mark (was it Mark?) Wahlberg and the prosthetic he had to wear because he wasn't "big" enough, some blond woman who was Macy's wife and a porn star. William H. Macy blowing his brains out. Yeah, some of the movie made an impact on me.

Rest in peace, Philip Seymour Hoffman.