Hours before the nation celebrated the biggest game in football, Hollywood was struck by the loss of one of its finest actors.

Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his NYC home Sunday morning after an apparent heroin overdose. He was 46.

According to officials, there were 49 bags of heroin and 20 discarded syringes found in Hoffman’s apartment, as well as anti-anxiety prescriptions that he may not have been prescribed for.

Investigators also found eight empty bags stamped with ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Ace of Hearts’ inside, reports the Daily Mail. That type of heroin typically contains a lethal mix laced with fentanyl – an opiate used to soothe the pain of cancer patients.

Details emerged yesterday, that the actor was found with a syringe still stuck in his skin.

“Philip was found with a needle in his arm on the bathroom floor,” a NYPD source tells Closer. “This was at 11:36 am, EMS arrived and tried to perform CPR to no avail. His family has been notified of his death.”

In a statement from the FDNY EMS, it is confirmed that a 911 phone call was made before noon on February 2nd.

“We got a call to 35 Bethune St. at 11:36 am,” reads the press statement. “When we arrived he was in cardiac arrest. He was not transported to a hospital, he was pronounced dead on the scene.”

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When news of the actor’s death made its way around the internet, the scene outside his Greenwich Village residency quickly became chaotic, with media and spectators eager for any additional information.

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Marianne (Mimi) O’Donnell is the longtime girlfriend and mother of Hoffman’s three children, though reports suggest that the pair ended their relationship in the last few months.

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The “Moneyball” actor reportedly began renting the $10,000-a-month apartment on Bethune St. after moving out of the couple’s shared home in October. O’Donnell and Hoffman had been together 14 years and are parents to son Cooper, 10, and daughters Tallulah, 7, and Willa, 5.

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O’Donnell, a costume designer, was seen weeping outside the property on Sunday before entering the building.

Reports say the 46-year-old mother had asked friend and playwright, David Bar Katz, to check up on Hoffman after he failed to pick up his children from her home on Sunday morning.

When Katz entered the apartment, he found Hoffman lying on the bathroom floor, a syringe still in his arm.

The family has since issued a statement on the actor’s death, asking for privacy during this difficult time.

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone,” the statement reads. “This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving.”

It continues, “Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers.”

Just before 7 pm, the star’s body was taken out of the apartment in a black body bag. An eyewitness describes the scene as “somber.”

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Hoffman, a fiercely private man, checked into rehab last May for a heroin addiction after 23 years of being clean. In 2006, he briefly addressed his history with substance abuse, which was at its worst after he graduated from NYU’s drama school.

“It was all that drugs and alcohol, yeah. It was anything I could get my hands on…I liked it all,” the actor told “60 Minutes” at the time.

At the Sundance Film Festival two weeks ago, an eyewitness, who attended the premiere of Hoffman’s new film “God’s Pocket,” tells Closer the actor didn’t look quite right.

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“Philip was the last person to arrive on the carpet for ‘God’s Pocket,’ he looked tired and out of it. He looked like did not want to be there,” the eyewitness says.

“He was pale and disheveled looking, people noticed and were commenting on how he didn’t look great, he didn’t look like he was a man free of drugs and alcohol,” the witness continued.

Hoffman was also promoting the thriller, “A Most Wanted Man,” at the festival, and director Anton Corbijn has since spoken out about his leading man’s death.

“Hearing that Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away came as much as a shock to me as to anyone else I’d imagine. We spent some time together only 2 weeks ago and he seemed in a good place despite some issues he had to deal with.”

The director continued, “He was not only the most gifted actor I ever worked with…he had also become an incredibly inspiring and supportive friend.

“I have to think about Mimi and the children and I wish them much strength coping with the loss of this truly great man as a father and partner.”

Star tributes quickly poured in, including a statement from Hoffman’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” costar Jennifer Lawrence.

“RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman. Such an incredible actor. You played an excellent Plutarch. So sad,” Lawrence wrote.

Scroll down for more celebrity tributes.

Gwyneth Paltrow: “Philip was a true genius.”

Sir Ian McKellan: “He was without doubt one of the most accomplished screen actors of our time, with so many more performances waiting to enchant us with. His work on film survives his death, the only consolation in our grief and regret.”

George Clooney: “There are no words. It’s just terrible.”

Tom Hanks: “This is a horrible day for those who worked ‎with Philip. He was a giant talent. Our hearts are open for his family.”

Julianne Moore: “I feel so fortunate to have known and worked with the extraordinary Philip Seymour Hoffman, and am deeply saddened by his passing.”

Jeff Bridges: “I’m so shocked, and so sad hearing of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death. I enjoyed playing with him on the Big Lebowski. He was such a wonderful guy, and so damn talented, a real treasure. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”