Philip Seymour Hoffman dead at 46

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won an Academy Award for the film "Capote," was found dead in his New York City apartment Sunday, law enforcement officials confirmed to Al Jazeera.

Hoffman, 46, was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of his Greenwich Village apartment by police responding to an emergency 911 call, and Emergency Medical Service workers declared him dead on the scene, the New York City Police Department said in a statement. An investigation was ongoing.

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone," Hoffman's family said in a statement issued through his publicist on Sunday afternoon.

"This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving. Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers," they added. A representative said the family would not make any further statements at this time.

A police department source told Reuters that Hoffman had died of an apparent drug overdose. The award-winning actor had reportedly struggled with drug addiction in the past, seeking treatment in May 2013 after he began abusing prescription pills and snorting heroin, according to an interview with TMZ.

Born in upstate New York near Rochester, Hoffman burst onto the film scene playing a lovelorn gay man in 1997's "Boogie Nights," which helped make Mark Wahlberg a star.

Hoffman appeared in blockbusters such as "Twister" and the "Hunger Games" series. But he was more often associated with the independent film world for his intense portrayals of often disturbing and complex characters in such films as "Happiness," in which he played an obscene phone caller, and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead."

In the latter, he played a son who schemes to rob his parents' jewelry store, resulting in their deaths. But Hoffman could also play nice, as in "Magnolia," in which he played the role of an angelic nurse.

Hoffman also frequently appeared on Broadway, garnering Tony award nominations for "Death of a Salesman," "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "True West."

He won the best actor Oscar for the 2005 biographical film "Capote," in which he played writer Truman Capote. He also received three Academy Award nominations as best supporting actor, for "The Master" in 2013, "Doubt" in 2009 and "Charlie Wilson's War" in 2008.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said via Twitter, "Saddened by Philip Seymour Hoffman's tragic and untimely passing. Today New York mourns the loss of one of stage and screen's greats."

Hoffman is survived by three children with his partner Mimi O'Donnell.

Al Jazeera and Reuters