14 DAY TRIAL // Sir Philip Seymour Hoffman died at the beginning of the month from a heroin overdose, leaving behind millions of heartbroken fans but, most importantly, a longtime girlfriend and 3 children. He had drawn up his will in 2004 and left the bulk of his estate to Mimi O’Donnell, his partner, it has emerged.
The New York Daily News notes that, at the time he wrote the will, Hoffman wasn’t even half as rich as he was when he died. Reports online say that O’Donnell will be getting the bulk of his estate, estimated at $35 million (€25.5 million).
The only stipulation the actor made in the will was that his son Cooper be kept away from the spotlight, if possible. The will was written one year after his birth, before the other 2 kids were born.
“It is my strong desire... that my son Cooper Hoffman be raised and reside in or near the borough of Manhattan. [If not New York, then] Chicago, Illinois or San Francisco, California,” the actor wrote.
“[If O’Donnell] cannot reside in any of such cities, then it is my strong desire that Cooper visit these cities at least twice a year. The purpose of this request is so that my son will be exposed to the culture, art and architecture that such cities offer,” Hoffman further said.
He did not mention Los Angeles at all, which is also the place where he got his start as a Hollywood star. Hoffman was completely disillusioned about stardom and the fame game, mostly because of his drug and alcohol addiction.
At the time of his death, he relapsed into both, after staying sober for over 2 decades. Word has it he’d been telling friends for weeks that he knew he should stop or else he’d die. Sadly, he never had the chance to seek help.
Back on the topic of the will, the NY Daily News says that it includes “no mention of his screenwriter brother Gordon, his two sisters Jill and Emily, or his beloved mother, Marilyn, a judge in Rochester who raised him after she and husband Gordon split up.”
Neither does it mention the mystery woman Hoffman reportedly wrote about in his diary, confessing he didn’t know whether he should break up with the mother of his children to be with her.