Mimi O’Donnell reportedly screamed in despair at learning of the death of her longtime boyfriend Philip Seymour Hoffman, believing the actor was on the road to recovery after a relapse into narcotics abuse.
Hoffman was found dead Sunday morning inside a New York City apartment. Though an official cause of death has not been noted, a drug overdose is suspected and the late actor was reportedly found with a hypodermic needle sticking out of his arm.
Philip openly admitted that he struggled with drugs in his youth, but had reportedly been clean for nearly 23 years before relapsing in late 2012. Though he struggled with addictions to prescription painkillers and heroin, Philip Seymour Hoffman entered detox last year and seemed to be on the path to recovery, TMZ noted.
That made his sudden death that much more difficult for O’Donnell to handle, a source told ShowBizSpy .
“Mimi is inconsolable,” the source said. “He had his problems, but she thought he was on the road to recovery following his recent rehab stint.”
Mimi O’Donnell had reportedly already been on edge after a death hoax spread earlier in the weekend.
On Sunday, Hoffman’s family released a short statement calling for privacy in the wake of Hoffman’s death.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support,” the statement read, adding, “This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving.”
Ironically, Philip Seymour Hoffman may have foreshadowed his own death during a 2006 interview with 60 Minutes . While discussing his struggles with drugs as a NYU undergraduate, Hoffman said if he had found quick success the way other actors have, it likely would have killed him.
“I’m like, ‘Oh my God. I’d be dead.’ You know what I mean? I’d be 19, beautiful, famous and rich. That would be it,” he said at the time. “I think back at that time. I think if I had the money, that kind of money and stuff. So, yeah [I would have died].”
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mimi O’Donnell had been a couple since 1999, and the two had three young children together. Their oldest, son Cooper Alexander, was born in March 2003. They had two more daughters — Tallulah in November 2006 and WIlla in October 2008.