What a shock. I've seen all his movies from the lesser known but brilliant "Magnolia" (1999) to his amazing work in "Boogie Nights" and all his early/cameo work. I'll miss him. He's one of the few actors that no matter the subject matter, if he was in the movie, I'd watch it. To those bashing the drug issue, there's something called "ennui", a type of severe depression that manifests in those who find great fame through their art (eg acting, singing, painting) but are unable to handle all the B.S. that comes with it. It's not easy living in the public eye - would you like having to hide from the skeezy paparazzi every time you leave your house or go on vacation? Kurt Cobain, Brittany Murphy, Whitney Houston just to name a few. At least he was open and honest about it unlike SO many others. He'd been clean for over a decade. And I haven't read all the dirty laundry in the tabloids, but often when addicts are clean for a long time they lose their tolerance and sadly overdose by shocking their system with what they think is a "safe" hit. Unless you've been directly affected by addiction as a user yourself or by friends/family, you should keep your ignorance to yourself- the amount of ignorant comments in this thread are disgusting. Death isn't to be joked about nor the deceased ridiculed/judged. Addiction is a DISEASE, not a lifestyle choice. My heart goes out to the friends and family of this smart, talented, kind man and at least he's at peace. My best friend died of cirrhosis at age 47 due to heavy drug abuse earlier in his life. He was sober when he died, but the damage had already been done. I don't hate him for leaving me behind because he tried his best. Happiness (or "having it all") often has NOTHING to do with these sad endings to such beautiful people. Godspeed Mr. Hoffman, you'll be sorely missed around the world. <3