|
 Photographers and fans trying to get a glimpse of the
celebrities were cordoned off behind barriers near the Frank E.
Campbell The Funeral Chapel on Manhattan's Upper East Side as
police escorted the visitors in and out of the building.
Neither Adams nor Williams, who both starred in films with
Hoffman, said anything as they entered the building. Williams'
former partner, actor Heath Ledger, died of an accidental drug
overdose in 2008.
"I came to pay my respects," said Amy Paschold, 40, a financial
adviser from Virginia and a long-time fan of Hoffman's work.
"I wasn't surprised," she added about his death. "He fell off
the wagon.
Although the body of Hoffman, 46, was found on Sunday in his
Greenwich Village apartment with a syringe in his arm, autopsy
results to determine the cause of his death were inconclusive. A
spokeswoman for New York City's Chief Medical Examiner said
further studies were being done.
Four people have been arrested and charged with drug offenses
possibly connected to substances found at the actor's home.
The wake will be followed by a private funeral service in New
York, according to a representative for the family. Hoffman is
survived by three children with his longtime partner Mimi
O'Donnell.
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 A memorial is planned for later this month.
Hoffman, an Academy Award winner for his role in the 2005
biographical film Capote, was considered one of the most gifted
stage and film actors of his generation.
On Wednesday evening hundreds of friends and fans paid homage to him
during a somber candlelight vigil outside the Labyrinth Theater
Company in Greenwich Village.
Hoffman had been a member and a former artistic
director of the New York company, which is one of the nation's
leading ensemble theater groups.
Broadway also honored the actor when it dimmed marquees for a minute
on Wednesday evening. Although Hoffman is best known for his film
roles, he appeared on stage frequently. He earned Tony award
nominations for his role as Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman,"
and for his parts in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "True
West."
On the big screen Hoffman appeared in blockbusters such as "The
Hunger Games" series and also garnered best supporting actor Oscar
nominations for "The Master," "Doubt" and "Charlie Wilson's War."
(Writing by Patricia Reaney; editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Ken Wills)
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