Philip Seymour Hoffman, as you’ve no doubt heard by now, died of an apparent drug overdose last weekend at the age of 46. He had struggled with addiction for years, been sober for decades, and only relatively recently relapsed. To say he was a talented actor seems a ridiculous understatement, but at the same time, to lament the loss of his talent seems insensitive and trite at the moment.

(The title of this post is a line from Along Came Polly, which I just watched for the first time the other day. While it is far from a great movie, it is classic Hoffman.)

The news of his death hit me pretty hard, certainly harder than any other celebrity death in recent years. Maybe it’s because we’re close to the same age, or maybe it’s because I identify with the tubby, socially awkward archetype he often portrayed. Maybe it’s because I’ve lost people to addiction and other demons, some quite recently.

Maybe I feel a profound impact from this, not because his death seems so senseless (even though it does), but because I can envision a scenario in which it would seem to make perfect sense. I have been fortunate in that my issues with addiction have not threatened me in such a critical way, but I am still a recovering addict who knows how quickly the real world can slip away.

I started collecting articles written about him, and about the issues he has brought to light, since last weekend. They represent some of the best ways to respond to such a tragedy, and a few of the worst.

Why Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death Is So Scary, Seth Mnookin, Slate, February 4, 2014

Philip Seymour Hoffman: The Greatest Actor of His Generation, Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, February 2, 2014

A Complicated Actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, in His Last Days, Michael Wilson, New York Times, February 5, 2014

Philip Seymour Hoffman and the death of the character actor, Alex Moore, death and taxes, February 2, 2014

Tom Junod Has No Excuse, BooMan, Booman Tribune, February 3, 2014

Jared Padalecki Thought Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death Was “Stupid”, Rebecca Rose, Jezebel, February 2, 2014

UPDATE (02/07/2014): Here’s another good one, via Meghan: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death Saved 10 Lives, Aaron Sorkin, Time, February 5, 2014

I highly recommend this one: Philip Seymour Hoffman is another victim of extremely stupid drug laws, Russell Brand, The Guardian, February 6, 2014:

A troubling component of this sad loss is the complete absence of hedonism. Like a lot of drug addicts, probably most, who “go over”, Hoffman was alone when he died. This is an inescapably bleak circumstance. When we reflect on Bieber’s Louis Vuitton embossed, Lamborghini cortege it is easy to equate addiction with indulgence and immorality. The great actor dying alone denies us this required narrative prang.

The reason I am so non-judgmental of Hoffman or Bieber and so condemnatory of the pop cultural tinsel that adorns the reporting around them is that I am a drug addict in recovery, so like any drug addict I know exactly how Hoffman felt when he “went back out”. In spite of his life seeming superficially great, in spite of all the praise and accolades, in spite of all the loving friends and family, there is a predominant voice in the mind of an addict that supersedes all reason and that voice wants you dead. This voice is the unrelenting echo of an unfulfillable void.

Addiction is a mental illness around which there is a great deal of confusion, which is hugely exacerbated by the laws that criminalise drug addicts.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and a double standard over drugs, Simon Jenkins, The Guardian, February 3, 2014

UPDATE x 2 (02/09/2014): Here’s a different, but very important perspective: Why Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death Is Not About You, Mark Shrayber, Jezebel, February 8, 2014

It’s important that if we learn something from Hoffman’s death (if there’s even anything to be learned), it’s that addiction can affect anyone, that relapse is a rule not an exception and that making the discussion of addiction more open and less taboo is imperative. That there are countless people struggling with this issue every day and that their deaths, their voices, are just as important even if they don’t have a popular writer who identifies with their story. And that if we’re going to keep the conversation alive (which no one can argue these writers aren’t doing) we need to look past the individual level and past our own egos towards the system that allows addiction to flourish and fails so many that are struggling with addiction every day.

Photo credit: Georges Biard [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.