Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York City apartment on Sunday. He was 46.

The New York City Police Department confirmed that the actor was found dead at 12 p.m. ET in his fourth floor apartment in the Greenwich Village of New York City.

While the official cause of death is unknown at this point, police speculate that Hoffman appears to have died of a drug overdose. The actor was found with a needle in his arm and suspected heroin was found at the scene. His friend, playwright David Katz, is believed to have made the initial discovery.

The New York medical examiner says that an autopsy will be conducted on Monday.

Hoffman's family released a statement regarding his death:

"We are devastated by the 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." The family will not be making any further statements at this time.

A private funeral service will be held in New York for the family and close friends, and a memorial service will be held later this month in the city. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Phil’s name to two charities that were "very close to his heart": The DreamYard Project and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

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"Hunger Games: Catching Fire" director Francis Lawrence issued a statement on Sunday along with star Jennifer Lawrence, book series writer and exec producer Suzanne Collins, and producers Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilick: "Words cannot convey the devastating loss we are all feeling right now," they wrote on behalf of the cast and crew of the upcoming two-part "Hunger Games: Mockingjay." "Philip was a wonderful person and an exceptional talent, and our hearts are breaking. Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to his family."

Hoffman had struggled with addiction in the past, but was reportedly clean for 23 years before falling off the wagon in 2012. He most recently checked into rehab in May 2013.

In a 2006 interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," Hoffman discussed his earlier drug use dating back to the time after his graduation from New York University's drama school.

"It was all that [drugs and alcohol], yeah, it was anything I could get my hands on ... I liked it all," Hoffman said. Eventually, he chose to seek treatment. "I went [to rehab], I got sober when I was 22 years old. You get panicked ... and I got panicked for my life. It really was just that."

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He also revealed that his drug habit was life-threatening. "I have so much empathy for these young actors that are 19 and all of a sudden they're beautiful and famous and rich. I'm like, 'Oh my God. I'd be dead.' You know what I mean? I'd be 19, beautiful, famous and rich. That would be it. I think back at that time. I think if I had the money, that kind of money and stuff. So, yeah [I would have died]."

Bizarrely, Hoffman was the victim of a death hoax earlier this week. However, at the time, his rep confirmed that he was alive and well.

Hoffman won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in the 2005 film, "Capote." He was also nominated for his performances in "The Master," "Doubt," and "Charlie Wilson's War." The longtime thespian will also be remembered for a number of smaller films, including "Magnolia," "Synecdoche, New York," and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," as well as his breakout in "Twister" and his most recent turn as Plutarch Heavensbee in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

Hoffman was also active in the New York theater scene, and had been nominated for Tony Awards three times.

He has three children — Tallulah Hoffman, Cooper Alexander Hoffman, and Willa Hoffman — all under the age of 11, with costume designer Mimi O'Donnell. While Hoffman and O'Donnell never married, they had been together since 1999, after meeting on the set of the play "In Arabia We'd All Be Kings."