Philip Seymour Hoffman
Photos of Philip Seymour Hoffman were placed outside of his apartment as a makeshift memorial after he was found dead on Sunday from an alleged heroin overdose. Reuters

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s partner Mimi O’Donnell insisted the father of her three children get help for his drug addiction, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday. After more than two decades of sobriety, the Oscar-winner relapsed in May 2013 and it was his longtime lover who implored him to kick his heroin habit. Hoffman was found dead Sunday at age 46.

“She clearly wanted him around, but she wanted him healthy,” a source close to the actor told the news site. O'Donnell, a 46-year-old costume designer, was living in a separate but nearby home with their children Cooper, 10, Tallulah, 7, and Willa, 5, when Hoffman apparently overdosed on heroin.

When it came to his addiction, Hoffman did not want to admit he needed help. “He was very quiet and shy when it came to talking about his problem,” the source said. “He was not this super confident star. He was nice, but it was all internal.”

Eventually, Hoffman, who was known for films like “Capote, “Doubt” and “Charlie Wilson’s War,” sought professional help and was released from rehab right before Christmas. He started to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings near his new rental home in the West Village, but he also frequented nearby bars.

On Saturday, Hoffman withdrew $1,200 from an ATM after he was apparently no longer able to face his demons, sources said. O’Donnell reportedly told the New York Police Department she spoke with her estranged partner the night before he died, and that he sounded like he was high. The next day the actor was found dead in his apartment’s bathroom with a hypodermic needle still in his arm.

Reports on how many bags of heroin were found at his residence have varied, but range from 50 to as many as 70. Some of the drugs in his possession were buprenorphine, a drug heroin addicts take to curb heroin use, sources told the Daily News.

“This isn't anything shocking, unfortunately,” the source said. “2013 wasn't a good year for him. In the media, this looks like a dramatic decline, but it had been going on for a while.”

“It’s just a horrible situation,” the insider added. “Why is someone with so much to lose willing to take this chance? The line between genius and madness is very thin.”

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