Hollywood: Lights, Camera...Addiction!

Like the rest of Hollywood fans, I was shocked by Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. It was only last December that I watched him at Hunger Games: Catching Fire and now, he's dead. What a way to waste a talent. Drug overdose.

As my memory could only recall Heath Ledger and River Phoenix from the film industry, and Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston from the music industry, I searched the Internet for a list of famous Hollywood names who may have died from too much booze, drugs and fame.

And what I found, courtesy of Wikipedia, was a list of notable celebrities, athletes, actors, dancers and nobodies, whose death might have been related to drugs and alcohol. And the list is alphabetical! It's more like a list of who's who of dying from excess. Too bad, they're all dead. Dead and famous.

But what's with fame and fortune that led them to abuse? Was it too much to handle? Were they not able to cope with the ups and downs? Were they not ready for failure after all the successes? Or, when everyone else abandoned them, drugs and alcohol stayed behind and gave them the comfort they craved for.

Luckily, I am not a Hollywood actor. Ha-ha-ha! Otherwise, I would have already won an Oscar, and probably be dead, too. But I am just happy and contented to be a Hollywood movie fan. At least, I am alive, drug-free, alcohol-free, but not sugar-free. (I love sweets!) :-)

We will never know why Philip Seymour Hoffman relapsed in his drug rehabilitation. I heard he already had recovered, but what triggered?  But what we know is that he may not be the last actor to die of drugs or booze as long as these celebrities don't look after their mental health. After all, everything starts with the mind. 

So, instead of a nomination at this year's Academy Awards to be held on March 2, Philip Seymour Hoffman will be included in the In Memoriam tribute of the show. And as his name and portrait are flashed on screen, he will definitely get the loudest applause from his peers. Too bad, he won't be around to acknowledge the ovation.



PS. The 'Hollywood' sign photo is courtesy of http://www.hollywoodsign.org