Stars out in force for Hoffman wake

Friends and family of celebrated actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died of an apparent heroin overdose over the weekend, gathered late Thursday to attend a New York wake in his honor.

Film and theater stars were among those who paid their respects to the Oscar-winning actor.

Cate Blanchett, Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix and Justin Theroux joined the mourning family.

Hoffman's mother Marilyn O'Connor arrived at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home with her face buried in her hands.

His partner Mimi O'Donnell was seen earlier leaving her home with their three young children aboard a black SUV. The couple had recently separated.

Police guarded the entrance to the funeral home, keeping the press at a distance.

Funeral services will be held Friday at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue, the site of the 1994 funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the wife of assassinated US president John F. Kennedy.

A separate, public ceremony is expected to take place at the end of the month.

Hundreds of friends and fans gathered Wednesday to pay their respects during a candlelight vigil outside the Labyrinth Theater Company, where Hoffman once served as company member and artistic director.

The results of an autopsy performed Monday were inconclusive, and further tests have been ordered to determine Hoffman's cause of death.

The 46-year-old actor, whose career spanned more than 20 years and 50 films, was found with a needle in his arm Sunday, and there were 50 envelopes of heroin, syringes and other pills in the apartment.

Three people have been arrested and charged as part of the investigation into Hoffman's death. A fourth was arrested in Tuesday's raid but charges were later dropped, according to US media.

Hoffman had admitted to falling off the wagon since 2012, after two decades of sobriety, starting with prescription pills and escalating to heroin use.