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Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has died; Filmmaker, Woody Allen has been accused of sexual abuse; Governor Chris Christie is fighting back with David Wildstein

Aired February 02, 2014 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That Oscar-winning actor right there, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Just 46-years-old. He won the academy award for that film portraying Truman Capote in 2005. He was found dead today shortly before noon inside his New York City apartment. An autopsy will be performed tomorrow. But law enforcement sources tell CNN it appears Hoffman died of a drug overdose. Investigators say they found bags of what they believe is heroin inside that apartment. Philip Seymour Hoffman told an interview where just last year that he was trying to get clean from drug addiction and was confident that he was getting a handle on it.

On the phone right now from New York, CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti.

Susan, you have been working your sources all day long in bring us information about the discovery and now where this investigation goes? What is the latest?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Hi, Fred.

Well, it is certainly stunning news today. He was such a well regarded, talented actor. And by all accounts, a really considered to be a really nice guy in his neighborhood, really blended there. But Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead in his apartment by two friends, one a playwright, David Katz, who was apparently collaborating with him on some work and another friend discovered him, the actor, in his bathroom with a needle in his left arm, according to our law enforcement sources. He was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. Police were called to the scene right away however, the actor was found to be dead on the scene.

Authorities found two bags believes to contain heroine and in empty small plastic bags some labeled with stamps with ace of hearts and ace of spades. These are common street names for heroin, apparently our sources tell us that the long time girlfriend who is the mother of their children got worried when he didn't show up to pick up his children Sunday morning. The couple apparently lives apart. Several parents in his west village neighborhood and neighbors say his girlfriend live nearby. That he rented an apartment where in this family say after he had returned from rehab.

He was last seen about 8:00 on Saturday night. And now the question is what is next. This is an actor who did not hide the problem he had with addiction. An autopsy, as you said, Fred, will be conducted on Monday. The police (INAUDIBLE) say they would overdose investigations. They are examining the believed to be the heroin and their lab to see whether is related with anything else, checking the apartment for fingerprints in order to try to determine how he got this or who might have sold it to him and whether anyone might have been with him when he died. We don't know any indication of that right now, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Susan Candiotti, thank you so much. Keep us posted when you do get any more information.

All right, so short time ago, the family of Philip Seymour Hoffman released the statement.

It reads quote "we are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and we appreciate the out pouring of love and support that we have received from everyone. This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time grieving. Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers," end quote.

So Hoffman lived on Manhattan west side which is where he was last seen alive just last night.

CNN's Alexandra Field is live for us now in New York City.

So Alexandra, tell us how the neighborhood is reacting? What is being said and done there?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, more people are coming, Fred, every hour goes by. More and more people were his fans really, not just neighbors. Now, the fans who have heard the word have started to come. They want to sort of pay their respect, pay tribute. They are being kept back at this point because this is still an investigation. You still have this NYPD crime scene unit out here and another one behind it. Medical examiners are still in that apartment where Philip Seymour Hoffman's body was found on the fourth floor. And the NYPD is carefully guarding that door asking for ID for any residents who did to get inside the apartment.

We did learn earlier this afternoon that the apartment he has been living in following a visit to rehab that previously he had lived in this Greenwich Village neighborhood with the rest of his family. This is a man who was well-known in the neighborhood but well admired across the country. He has got fans who are pouring in. And now these are fans who were really deeply devoted to the work the he did. This is the kind of actor that Philip Seymour Hoffman was. And these are the things that they are telling us. Didn't see that celebrity loran appeals they are talking about. It is really the work that he did on stage and on screen.

I'll show you, these are some flowers that were just left here, a few more flowers were left at the door. But still, this is the sort of a closely guarded scene. So fans are being forced to leave their flowers a little bit further down the street. One woman came to me and she told me that she has felt that she needed to come to here to Greenwich Village to pay her respect because she has been, for the long time, fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman. For her 13th birthday, her mother had flown her from Texas to New York City to see him on stage and that she had been an admirer of this work every since.

<17:05:05>

FIELD: His neighbors here tell us that they just appreciated him as a neighbor, you know. One man was telling us that he always saw him riding around on his bicycle in his Knicks hat that he would sort if loke (ph) restaurant here in town. We spoke to a restaurant who says that would come in, usually alone or with the couple of friends, not that entourage who was sort of, you know, and chat with the way it south, that he was friendly, that he was approachable. He had three young children who were in the local public school. That was something that was something that is also, you know, of interest to people who say maybe that is not typical for a celebrity here in Greenwich Village.

What is also interesting is what fans are reacting to now they hear this news that he was found with the needle in this arm. Yes, we do know that he had spoken publicly about his addiction and his efforts to get treatment. But some of this fans tell us they weren't even aware of it. And that is interesting because it speaks to the kind of fans that he had. These were fans of his work. Again, they tell us they weren't necessarily that interested in his personal life. That really wasn't, you know, want made headline when it came to Philip Seymour Hoffman. When people spoke about him, they really speak about his screen works.

That said, a lot of people do now want to know and understand what happened inside of that apartment. These are question that the medical examiner will help answer. Again, she is still on scene along with forensic investigators who have come inside and outside of this building in those white suites. And we've seen other plain clothed investigators. The medical examiner pro work will help us to understand exactly how long Philip Seymour Hoffman was in that apartment. We know he was seen last night at 8:00 and then missed his appointment with his children this morning, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alexandra Field, thank you so much there in lower Manhattan.

All right, Philip Seymour Hoffman struggled with addition for years. He told people that. Well, coming up next, I'll talk with addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky about the Hollywood culture of drug abuse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<17:10:11>

WHITFIELD: We are following breaking news at this hour from New York.

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in his apartment. Law enforcement sources tell CNN he died of an apparent drug overdose. Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in Rochester, New York in 1967. He studied acting at New York University and he was the father of three children. Best known for his Oscar winning role in "Capote." Hoffman made his major film debut in 1992 with "Scent of a Woman". Hoffman didn't back away from questions about his past drug addiction. In fact, in an interview that aired on "60 Minutes" in 2011, the actor talked about his struggles openly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: You don't drink?

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, ACTOR: No, I don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: You went into rehab at a fairly early age?

HOFFMAN: Yes, I did. I went -- I got sober when I was 22. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: So this was drugs or alcohol or both?

HOFFMAN: Yes all that stuff. Yes. Everything I could get my hands on. Yes. Yes. I liked it all. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: And why did you decide to stop?

HOFFMAN: You get panicked. It was -- I was 22 and I got panicked in my life. It really was just that. I was thinking God, you know, I have so much empathy for these young actresses that are 19 and all of the sudden they are beautiful and famous and rich. I'm like, my God, I'll be dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hoffman battled his inner demons in the past admitting both drug and alcohol abuse, a very revealing interview there.

Dr. Drew Pinsky the host of HLN Dr. Drew on call with us right now.

That is really sad, isn't it? It is, you know, seeing it now. I'm sure it was sad and impeccable at the time. I didn't see it at the time. But now, knowing his demise that this heroin use or drug use or an addiction may have indeed taken his life today and then hearing his words saying that he really tried it all and he got panicked for a moment, but it still got a hold of him.

DR. DREW PINSKY, HLN HOST, DR. DREW ON CALL: And the panic is, when people really turn things around, particularly at young age when they really kind get through to them, the panic is I'm going to die. When they really realize that deeply, that's when they are able to make a change.

And what he said was absolutely accurate. I mean, clearly this man had real sobriety. Clearly, he has good insight in what his condition, whether or not he was active in this program later on, sometimes people get lax and that's where the relapse is occur. We do know he was in treatment recently. We don't know what happened after afterwards. But it is just a constantly the celebrity stories that we report on all the time are the constant reminder that addiction is a fatal condition. You have got to get that through their head. Listen. I compare it to cancer. That, of course, cancer survivors, which I am one, get offended by that. But the reality is most cancers are treatable these days. And it maybe are curable. Addiction has a worst prognosis, particularly heroin and opiate addiction, pretty chronic heroin opiate addiction. So, it is -- we cannot forget them. This is a medical condition with a fatal outcome.

WHITFIELD: So, why is it when we hear about addictions and it involves somebody in Hollywood or celebrity status, it resonates differently?

PINSKY: Well, I think people want to blame status for the behavior and for the addiction and for the acting out that we see. And we have been reporting on Justin Bieber all week, same sort of a phenomenon that maybe you have all been there. We don't know but perhaps, we are looking at the same thing or you have all been.

I have the only published literature on this because I interact with celebrities a lot. I was able to studied a couple of hundred of them. We show very clearly that it is not the celebrity status. It is that people with trauma, with addictive potential, with nor statistic liability are drown to these sorts of endeavors like the arts, not the arts per se, that performing that leads to celebrity. These is a very competitive feel that these people are driven to achieve it, they come to the celebrity with this liability and they once they are a celebrity, they don't have the usual consequence of the rest of us have. They don't have an employer or family member who is pulling them into the treatment very early. They insulate themselves with sicker fans are able to act out to the point that it becomes very dangerous.

WHITFIELD: And when you hear this man, Hoffman, say in the past that, you know, he was clean for 23 years that doesn't necessarily mean that was without temptation along the way.

WHITFIELD: You are talking like a normal. You have to stop thinking like that. This is a disease -- this is brain disorder that is a motivational disturbance that there all the time. People in recovery will say it is doing pushups. It is waiting for its opportunity. It works on a very deep, primitive level. It is pernicious. It affects thinking. It distorts thinking in such a ways to get them to use. So, if they are not involves in treatment every day, eventually that motivation disturbance will setback in and lead them back into the trouble.

<17:15:07>

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Drew Pinsky, thank you so much. It is so sad no matter which way you look at it. Appreciate that.

All right, let's go to now CNN producer Rose Arce. She lives in Hoffman's neighborhood and her children, actually, have been going to school with Hoffman's kids at a public school right there in the neighborhood for a long time now.

So, Rose, you are outside of, you know, Hoffman's apartment there. People are talking whether they know him or they admired him from afar or neighbors just like yourself are just devastated at this.

Give me an idea of what your interaction with him has been like over the years, particularly with your kids going to the same school.

ROSE ARCE, CNN PRODUCER: He was no way reducible to what happened today. I don't think you can, after this, people are going to look back and say, here is a guy with problems. What they remember, what I remember, what the people who knew a much better and I are going to remember is that he was a neighbor and he a father and he was friends with a lot of people around here.

He hung out at the local cafe. He played with his kids in the park. You would see him, I mean for years, I have seen walking his children to school. Sometimes, he would ride his son on his bike and come in and give him a hug and a high-five and ask him how he was doing to have a nice day. He has three children in elementary school. That is the part of this that is the saddest. And he was active in their lives. People remember him from play dates. They remember him from playing in the park. He would say hello. He was warmth. No one really thought of almost an actor. He was a neighbor. He was a friend.

WHITFIELD: And that people feel like he was so much private. I mean, like you said, just biking, walking, really simulate kind of understated about his, you know, just interact with people and going about. And you had a great story about after he won his Oscar, how it was kind of no big deal for him, but then everybody else celebrated, you know, this victory and how he became bashful about it.

ARCE: Yes. I saw him walking to school just a few days like this was a long after he won. And I remember some guy, one of the parents walking up and saying, you know, way to go. And one on the guy that's give him high-five and he just kind of smiled and kept walking as he often did. And he really wasn't the type of guy that attracted people because of his celebrity. He didn't seek that out.

There is a lot of other folks in this neighborhood that are big Hollywood stars. They sends their kids to private school. They sometimes walk them to school, but not too often. The media takes pictures of them. That wasn't him. You could tell that he was not a guy that wanted the paparazzi around, you know. He was the guy that just wanted to say hi to his neighbors, be left alone, be involved in the community. It is really, really a loss here.

WHITFIELD: Rose Arce, thank you so much. Appreciate your perspective.

Reaction to the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman is pouring in and in so many different fashions. Hoffman's fellow entertainers are also sharing their thoughts on Twitter.

Comedian and actor, Ricky Gervais, writes, such shocking and sad news. Rest in peace, Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of the greatest actors of a generation and a sweet, funny and humble man.

And singer and actress, Mandy Moore tweeted this saying quote "goodness. I never met Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he sure was one of the greats. Condolences his loved ones and all who admired his heart.

And actress, Michelle Rodriguez, writing this, rest in peace, Philip Seymour. You definitely touched my heart for years with your talent and sensibility.

And actress, Marg Helgenberger tweeted, rest in peace Philip Seymour Hoffman. What an extraordinary talented actor. He was. My God what a loss.

We continue to follow this breaking news of the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

But there is also another big story we are following for you. Florida's fight against prescription drugs abuse. Well it may have suffered a big setback. Will thousands of drug cases have to be dropped now? That is next.

<17:19:10>

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<17:22:52>

WHITFIELD: All right, let's catch you up on some other stories making headlines.

His state is hosting the super bowl today, but Chris Christie is also focused on a heated political battle off the field. Christie is firing back at a former political ally who's questioning the governor's account of his controversial lane closures at the George Washington Bridge last September.

In a memo to supporters, Christie attacks the credibility of former port authority official David Wildstein. He says Wildstein hasn't provided a shred of evidence to back up his claim that the governor knew about the lane closures while they were happening.

Christie says quote, "David Wildstein has been publicly asking for immunity since the beginning, been held in contempt by the New Jersey legislature for refusing to testify, failed to provide this so-called evidence when first subpoenaed by the New Jersey legislature and is looking for the port authority to pay his legal bills," end quote.

Some Republicans are expressing support for Christie, saying he should stay on as chairman of the Republican governors association.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Right now, all we know is one person's word against the other. You can't base any conclusion against such a thing. And so, unless something else is known or made clear, I don't see why you would change what's going on right now. I don't think he should step down because nothing has been proven and you always give the person the benefit of the doubt in those situations in my judgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But in other circle, Governor Christie isn't as popular. He got a mixed reaction from the crowd at a Super Bowl hand off ceremony in New York yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Good afternoon, everybody. You've heard enough speeches of the same thing. I want to tell everybody out there to thank you very much to all of our partners, the NFL, the team owners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The New Jersey assemblyman overseeing the state's investigation of the lane closures says his panel is in fact finding mode and any talk of impeachment in his word, is premature.

Law enforcement officials say Florida's fight against prescription drug abuse may have taken a big hit and the person they say is responsible was one of their own. A crime lab chemist is being investigated for allegedly switching with over the counter meds. That is a compromise some convictions.

Here is CNN's Nick Valencia.

<17:25:10>

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 2,000 criminal cases at risk of being thrown out or overturned. A Pensacola, Florida chemist accused of swapping out drug lab evidence with over the counter aspirin.

GERALD BAILEY, FDLE COMMISSIONER: It could be personal use, it could be trafficking, that could be each of those. We don't know.

VALENCIA: This is significant. A Florida department of law enforcement spokesman told CNN, we've never had to undertake something like this before. The investigation spans 35 counties across the state of Florida. In all, 2600 cases over the past eight years. All of them potentially impacted because of alleged evidence tampering.

BAILEY: Our first priority is to find out exactly what happened in this particular case and work with the state attorneys to hold this person criminally accountable.

VALENCIA: The investigation began last week when the county sheriff's office and state attorney noticed missing prescription pain pills from the evidence room. Instead, the drugs were replaced with over-the- counter medication. Florida's attorney general says the situation underlines the extent of prescription drug abuse in the United States.

Our battle against prescription drug abuse in Florida has been very successful over the last three years and I will not tolerate any actions that compromise our continued success in ridding our state of this problem.

Not all of the 2600 cases were drug related, but they will all be reviewed just to make sure that the chemist didn't allegedly tamper with any other evidence. Now, law enforcement officials tells me that he has been removed from duty and has hired an attorney, charges are pending.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we're also following breaking news out of New York. Oscar-winning actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, is dead. He was found this morning in his New York apartment. We will have the latest on the investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<17:30:28>

WHITFIELD: This breaking story we continue to follow, the death of an Oscar-winning actor in New York City. Philip Seymour Hoffman, he was found dead today in the bathroom of his Manhattan apartment. Police say they found what they believed are drugs, drugs paraphernalia and even a needle in his arm. An autopsy is planned for tomorrow.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was just 46-years-old. He won an Oscar for his 2005 portrayal of Truman Capote and appeared in more than 60 movies and TV shows. As recently as last year, Hoffman talked about his personal battle with drug addiction. This statement was just released by fellow actor, Tom Hanks, writing this.

This was a horrible day for those who worked with Philip. He was a giant talent. Our hearts are open for his family.

Hoffman lived in a loft building known as the Pickwick house in New York City's historic Greenwich Village.

Alexandria Field joins us live now from outside that building.

Alexandra, what can you tell us about the scene there at this apartment building?

FIELD: Well, Fred, investigators are still inside the crime scene unit is also still on scene. Law enforcement sources have told CNN that they found as many as eight empty glass-seem tight bags inside the apartment, those are the types of bags that typically hold heroin. Police sources also say that they found two bags containing what does appear to be heroin inside the apartment. That material will now be tested at a police drug lab.

We understand though, that Philip Seymour Hoffman was found in a fourth floor apartment in a bathroom after a building employee with a key to the apartment allowed some of his friends to go into that apartment and find him. He had last been seen around 8:00 last night. We're told that he missed an appointment with his children this morning. That's when friends arrived at the building and were able to get access to the apartment where they found Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The medical examiner is still inside. She could be in there for hours. That is not clear. Forensic investigators are also still inside, not clear how long it will take them to do their work. We do know though that law enforcement sources will be looking at his cell phone in order to see if they can try and determine where he may have thought what is believed to be heroin -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alexandra Field, thank you so much out there in the west village.

All right. It's pretty incredible, this loss. And just the short time ago, the family of Philip Seymour Hoffman released this statement.

It reads, quote "we are devastated by a loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone. 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."

Hoffman's final public appearance is believed to have been just last month at the Sundance film festival.

Krista Smith, CNN entertainment commentator and senior west coast editor of Vanity Fair interviewed the actor at the festival. Take a look as she describes the interaction that he once had with a fan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOFFMAN: My friends, my friends bet me that I couldn't get a selfie with you. And I was like, you're not.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Some lighter moments there. Krista Smith joining us live by phone now.

So, that was a very fun moment. He had this quite comedic streak as well, but describe for us what that interview was like. I remember the last time you and I spoke, you talked about him arriving early, so he was very anxious to talk about his projects.

KRISTA SMITH, CNN ENTERTAINMENT COMMENTATOR (via phone): Yes, Fred, well, usually during festivals and the press around festivals, it is crazy. You're kind of going from one thing to another. And he just arrived, I guess finished ahead of the rest of the actors and he just came in our little fleet and hung out and it's all very modest in Sundance. You know, there's no bells and whistles. You're just kind of right there with everybody and he hung out and as I said earlier, he was wondering if there was any closet smokers in the crew, so he could actually have a cigarette.

But you know, he had that and he was fine and then Christina game in. We did the interview. And I was asking these questions that were a little bit more light hearted towards the end and the one you just saw there, I had asked him, when was the last time you took a selfie? And these are the questions we were asking everybody and it was kind of fun because he immediately did this whole re-enactment and it was hilarious. And you wouldn't really expect Phil to do that. You know, people have this image of him as being, you know, this very serious kind of actor. And he immediately tapped into it and had us all laughing and it was kind of irresistible.

<17:35:18>

WHITFIELD: These two films that he was helping to promote, "God's Pocket" and "most wanted man," he was very excited about these two projects, but I understand he was also very excited about some projects that he was involved in that would be on stage in New York and then even an upcoming film that he would be directing.

SMITH: Right. Well, the thing about Phil Hoffman is there's no Phil Hoffman role. There is no one, you know, he was never pigeon holed into anything. And he was to so fluid between every performance and every facet of the community. I mean, he could be directing theatre, directing film, that was exactly what he was going to be doing, you know, with Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. He was in love with his, you know, theatre community that he started in. So, it's -- you know, he was a workaholic. He was so prolific.

And the one thing that I want to stress here as the more information comes about of this tragic death, I mean, and in a way in which they found him, I mean, no one really talked about you know, it didn't permit (ph) his work environment. No one knew him as someone that abused drugs. He was long-term sober. Like a few times, he mentioned that he had been, you know, sober since the age of 22. So, this wasn't -- last year when he kind of announced that he went into rehab for ten days or so to get back on track, to a lot of us, it was news that he had even had a problem because it had been two decades long that he had been sober.

WHITFIELD: Krista Smith, thank you so much. And Dr. Drew Pinsky with some pretty profound comments about that, you know, being sober if it is indeed possible and if a day-to-day struggle. You mentioned, he's addicted to working. Well, apparently, addicted to drugs and alcohol for many years.

Up next, I'm going to talk to an addiction specialist and that is Dr. Drew Pinsky will be back talking more about this fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<17:40:59>

WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking story we continue to be on top about a New York actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead in his apartment. Law enforcement sources tell CNN that he died of an apparent drug overdose.

I'm joined now on the phone now by Jeffrey Horowitz. He was a close friend of Philip Seymour Hoffman. They served together as board members of the Labyrinth theater company.

Jeff, thanks so much for joining us and my condolences on today's sad news. Tell us about Philip Seymour Hoffman that you knew.

JEFFREY HOROWITZ, ACTOR (via phone): Thanks.

So, as everyone knows, it is soul of incredibly talented actor. He was also an incredibly talented director and to the extent that people can see that, but Phil was also a great friend and a great father and a true leader and really a brilliant intellectual. He was a thoughtful person, not just about the theatre, but about relationships and about how people lived their lives. He was really a very smart guy.

WHITFIELD: We heard he really was addicted to working. That he poured all of his self into a project, whether it be on film, in television or on stage. Was that something that was fascinating to you about him? His dedication to this craft?

HOROWITZ: Well, certainly is something I respect. I think Phil was always looking for the truth in things. And so, you know, he was willing to work as hard as he had to accomplish that.

WHITFIELD: We know he was somebody in front of the camera. You talked about him being involved as a producer, as a playwright and as a director. Is there a way to know whether one of those disciplines gave him greater satisfaction or the other or did he just love it all?

HOROWITZ: I think if Phil were hearing the interview, he would say those are false choices. I think he enjoyed both. I don't think he would say he liked directing better than acting, he like film better than stage. I think those are sort of false choices.

WHITFIELD: And what did you know or notice about his struggles with substance abuse?

HOROWITZ: I don't have anything to say about any of that.

WHITFIELD: Is that because you didn't notice it or because he was very public about it? And so--.

HOROWITZ: I just don't have anything to say about it.

WHITFIELD: Give me an idea of what kind of loss this means for a friend of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

HOROWITZ: It's a -- my life will certainly be less rich. You know, he is, you know, because he won an Oscar and because he was in many popular movies, I think people, you know, people might view him as a certainly was a celebrity, but he was never seeking fame or celebrity or attention. He was a regular guy who wanted to be a regular guy and wanted to, you know, have friends with whom he could interact without all of the trappings of fame. And I will miss that deeply.

WHITFIELD: Jeffrey Horowitz -- HOROWITZ: It's a very interesting, it's a very interesting thing. My last communication with him back and forth by text. We were trying to set up for dinner, just to talk about some things, folks related to the theatre and otherwise and his text back to me was we'll find time. So, you know, sometimes, he was there.

<17:45:08>

WHITFIELD: Speaks to the hope that tomorrow will bring.

Jeffrey Horowitz, thank you so much for your thoughts on what is clearly a very painful loss. Our hearts are going out to you, his other friends and family as well. Thanks so much.

Philip Seymour Hoffman began acting in 1991 and it wasn't that long before his career would just simply take off. Just a year later, in fact, a supporting role in "Scent of a Woman" with Al Pacino won critical acclaim. Hoffman won the Academy Awards for best actor for his portrayal of Truman Capote in the 2005 movie, "Capote." And he was nominated for best supporting actor three times there after along with three Tony nominations. He also directed films and plays.

And Hoffman certainly didn't shy away from talking about past drug abuse. The actor even admitted last year that he had relapsed.

Joining me now from New York addiction special is Dr. Drew Pinsky, also host of HLN's "Dr. Drew on call."

So Dr. Drew, it is very difficult as you heard from Mr. Horowitz, for a friend to talk about what he did or didn't notice about addiction. But given that Mr. Hoffman did talk publicly about this lifelong battle, now this is likely to open up a whole new kind of dialogue that perhaps people have either put on the back burner or didn't want to talk about because it seems almost everyone has someone in their life who is dealing with some sort of addiction. What would be the dialogue?

PINSKY: I hope so. But I've said in this seat way too many times about in regards to way too many celebrities with the exact same circumstances, with the exact same cause of death, so I just hope that the message is getting through.

But based on after listening to his friend speak about him, I want to emphasize something that I've been saying all day and I cannot emphasize strongly enough. This is not Philip Seymour Hoffman the drug addict. The drug addict is separate from the man. It separate from his contributions. As though, you know, if you had the cancer, you would call him the cancer patient. No, he is a wonderful performer, an artist who happened to have a chronic medical condition we call addiction and that condition is often fatal. And it took one of the best and brightest as it often does.

WHITFIELD: And you said there are certain addictions, particularly those involving opiates, you are lucky to make it to age 50. He is 46. PINSKY: Yes. Heroin opiates, these are pain killers, particularly the heroin of course. But if you have struggled with it from early in life too late, it is something that is not likely to let you see your 50s and 60s. And there's not a 70-year-old heroin addict around. They don't live that long.

The real problem also these days is that pills, we're hearing little hints that pills were involved here as with slipped it into his -- he was relapsed. He apparently had sustained quality recovery and it is unfortunately the medical system that often does my patients ill service.

The fact is you have a history of heroin addiction, you should not be put on painkillers. If you do, your life is in danger. The problem with celebrities is they often seek special care, special exceptional care.

Conrad Murray was special exceptional care. That's what you end up with. And particularly addicts are prone to getting sucked into real trouble in the medical system.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Drew, thank you so much for your insight. Appreciate it.

And we'll continue to follow this breaking news on the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. But we're also checking in on another story. This, too, out of Hollywood.

Filmmaker Woody Allen has responded to child abuse allegations against him. Details on that right after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

If you have children in the room, you may want to ask them to leave because of this next story. It is not appropriate for some viewers, especially young ones.

Filmmaker, Woody Allen has been accused of an old crime but in a new way that is difficult to dismiss. The accuser is his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, who was speaking publicly for the first time about the allegations he sexually abused her as a child.

In an open letter published in a "New York Times" blog, Dylan Farrow described the alleged abuse in horrific details. And just minutes ago, Woody Allen responded to the allegations with a statement from his representative, Leslee Dart.

It reads quote "Mr. Allen has read the article and found it untrue and disgraceful. He will be responding very soon. In the meantime, it is essential that your coverage make the following facts clear. At the time a thorough investigation was conducted by court appointed independent experts. The experts concluded there was no credible evidence of molestation, that Dylan Farrow had inability to distinguished between fantasy and reality. And that Dylan Farrow had likely been coached by her mother, Mia Farrow. No charges were ever filed," end quote.

The allegations first came to light in 1992 after Farrow's mother, actress Mia Farrow, split from Allen. But the letter is putting them in the spotlight again.

Here now is Christi Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dylan Farrow, the adopted daughter of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, speaking out for the first time and giving new details of alleged sexual assault by the famous writer and director.

In an open letter published in "the New York Times" blog, she recounts an incident she says happened in 1992.

When I was 7-years-old Woody Allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim, closet like attic on the second floor of our house. He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother's electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me. He talked to me while he did it whispering that I was a good girl, that this was our secret, promising we would go to Paris and I'd be a star in his movies.

The letter published just weeks after Mia Farrow reignited a long standing fuse with her acts by bringing the personal family history back into the public eye. All of this playing out as the 78-year-old Allen was being honored by his peers at the Golden Globe Awards and his latest film celebrated with three academy award nominations.

Mia Farrow, displaying her content on social media tweeting, a woman has publicly detailed Woody Allen's molestation of her at age seven. Golden Globe tribute showed contempt of her and all abuse survivors.

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PAUL: Her son, Ronan, followed suit making no effort to bail his disgust. Missed the Woody Allen tribute, did they put the part that he allegedly molested a child at age seven before or after Annie Hall?

It is all part of the convoluted story that is Woody Allen's personal life. The couple separated after 12 years for Mia Farrow discovered that Allen was having an affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, who is now Allen's wife.

The same year, Dylan told her mother that Allen had touched her inappropriately. Allen denied that charges. And according to "the New York times," a team of medical investigators found no evidence of abuse. Allen was never charged but the allegations have tainted his image for two decades. But Dylan, finally breaking her silence, and admonishing some of Hollywood's most celebrated by name for in her words turning a blind eye by continuing to work with Allen. That he got away with what he did to me, haunted me as I grew up. I was stricken with guilt that I had allowed him to be near other little girls.

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WHITFIELD: That was Christi Paul reporting.

And again, through his representative, Woody Allen says articles and these allegations are untrue and disgraceful and that he will be responding very soon.

All right, now, here is the latest on this breaking news that we are following. A New York City official says they will perform an autopsy tomorrow on the body of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman was pronounced dead today in his Manhattan apartment after a friend found him unresponsive in the bathroom. Police also found what they believe to be heroin and drug paraphernalia in Hoffman's home.

Philip Seymour Hoffman won an academy award back in 2005 for his starring role in the movie "Capote." He was just 46-years-old.

CNN's entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner has more now on the family's reaction to Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. Hoffman was in the middle of filming "Hunger Games 2" when he died.

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NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Philip Seymour Hoffman's family released in a statement saying, of course, they are devastated by what they called a very tragic and sad loss. They also asked for time to grieve. They asked for people to respect their privacy. They also said they would not be making any further statements at this time.

There is a lot going on in this investigation as to what happened and how in fact he died. But what we do know is that Hollywood is also reacting to this now. Many celebrities tweeting out condolences to his family and their thoughts on Philip Seymour Hoffman's passing.

We also know that he had a lot of projects in the works. He joined "the Hunger Games" franchise. We just saw him in "Hunger Games catching fire." He just finished filming "Hunger Games Mockingjay part 1" that they will be released on November 10th of this year.

They were in the middle of filming "Hunger Games part 2, Mockingjay part 2." We are told that Philip Seymour Hoffman did have some time filming left. They are not sure how it will affect the movie. He was also getting ready to direct his next movie, his second directorial feature. And that movie was called "Ezekiel Moss." Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal were to star in that movie.

You know, the last time Philip Seymour Hoffman was believed to have been seen publicly was at the Sundance film festival about ten days ago, publicly meaning out on the red carpet and out doing industry work. He had two movies that debuted there, one called "Most wanted Man," the other was called "God's Pocket." He did speak and promote both of those films. At the time people said he seemed to be fine. But as our Dr. Drew has said repeatedly, you never really know what someone is going through when they are suffering the battles of addiction.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Nischelle.

Hollywood reacted almost immediately to Hoffman's death. Many, in fact, taking to twitter.

Comedian Sandra Bernhard said this. Great actor, introspective, brilliant, original, incredibly sad to hear the news about Philip Seymour Hoffman.

And then this tweet from actress, Minka Kelly. Such a heavy heart. What an awful day.

And this from musician Josh Groban. Oh no, no, no. Not Philip Seymour Hoffman. We needed so much more from him. What a talent. Rest in peace.

Thank you so much for being with us for our coverage. We have much more later on this evening. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much.

CNN will continue to follow this breaking news on the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Join us for a special hour of the CNN NEWSROOM with Don Lemon at 10:00 eastern this evening.

Right now, "Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown" next.

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