RIP

Philip Seymour Hoffman was clearly prepping to use heroin for the long haul before he died, because we now know ... cops found approximately 50 heroin bags in the NYC apartment.

Law enforcement sources initially put the number of bags at 10 ... but now we know the number is 5 times that. Our sources say a number of the bags were full ... along with a number of unused needles. The upshot ... Hoffman was ready for a heroin binge.

Trace Adkins' father has died ... just days after Adkins hastily ditched rehab in Florida to be by his father's bedside ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ broke the story ... Trace cut short his treatment for alcoholism last Wednesday ... saying he wanted to be with his dad who was seriously ill.

We've now learned Aaron Adkins has passed away in Louisiana ... and Trace was able to get there in time for his dad's final hours.

We're told Trace wanted to take care of his dad ...before deciding whether he'll return to an inpatient rehab center.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was in an Atlanta bar 3 days before he died ... drinking and smoking ... and running in and out of the restroom.

The photo was taken around dinner time at a restaurant next door to the Hyatt in downtown Atlanta on January 30th.

A witness tells us ... Hoffman was with a woman at the bar ... and made "multiple trips" to the bathroom and the witness says it looked "sketchy." The witness says it registered with him at the time ... that the trips to the restroom were curious.

Another witness says Hoffman appeared "drunk."

And, yet another witness saw him at the airport later and he appeared "drunk and disheveled."

Philip Seymour Hoffman may have been videotaped buying drugs the night before he died ... and now cops are working to get their hands on it ... and there are 2 mysterious men who may have been with Hoffman.

Hoffman was allegedly spotted by a man who claims he saw Philip withdraw large amounts of money from an ATM near the apartment where he was found dead ... according to Fox411.

The witness says he saw PSH hand over the cash to two men with messenger bags strapped to their bodies -- something typically worn by delivery drug dealers on the East Coast. The witness says he saw what he believed to be a drug deal.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's death appears to be heroin-related ... and law enforcement is looking at a deadly strain of the drug as one of the operating theories ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... they do NOT know specifics about the heroin found in the NYC apartment where Seymour died. There were 10 bags found -- 8 of them empty.

Authorities have been tracking a strain of heroin that has killed dozens of people on the East Coast -- just last month. The heroin is laced with fentanyl, an extremely potent drug prescribed for terminal cancer patients. The strain is 100 times more powerful than morphine ... it sometimes shuts down the respiratory system.

The drug -- sometimes called "Theraflu," "Bud Ice" and "24K" -- has been linked to 5 deaths on Long Island, 22 deaths in Pennsylvania and 19 on Rhode Island -- all in January.

Cops do NOT know if this strain caused Hoffman's death, but they tell us "everything's in play" until they get results from toxicology.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday in a New York City apartment of an apparent drug overdose ... TMZ has learned authorities found a needle in his arm.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor was found Sunday morning inside a Greenwich apartment ... and they're still on scene investigating.

Our sources say ... Hoffman was found in his bathroom in his boxer shorts, with a needle sticking out of his left arm. We're told police found 10 glassine envelopes -- 2 of the envelopes had heroin ... the others presumably were empty.

One of the envelopes had "Ace of Spades" written on it, and another had an ace of hearts symbol -- such symbols and words are often markers from people who make heroin -- to brand it.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Hoffman was supposed to pick up his kids at 9 AM Sunday but didn't show -- which was unusual for him. A playwright and a friend became concerned, came over and found the actor alone in the apartment.

Details surrounding his death are unclear ... but the actor had struggled with drug problems ... most recently checking himself into a rehab facility for heroin back in May.

TMZ broke the story of Hoffman going to rehab. We were told he did it as a preventative measure because he was getting close to a major relapse. A source involved in Hoffman's treatment now tells TMZ ... the actor said at the time he was on the brink of becoming a heroin IV user and wanted to nip it in the bud before that happened.

As we previously reported ... Hoffman had been clean for 23 years but fell off the wagon in 2012.

It appears Hoffman's last interview was at the Sundance Film Festival with XiXi Yang from PopStopTV for his movie "A Wanted Man."

Hoffman's family released a statement saying, "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support."

Law enforcement sources tell us his autopsy will take place Monday.

He didn't like the way Philip Seymour Hoffman portrayed him in "Moneyball," but former Oakland A's manager Art Howe tells TMZ Sports he never held a grudge against the actor ... saying, "He was just playing the part he was given."

Howe says he was "in shock" when he learned PSH had passed away Sunday ... explaining, "We never got to meet. I remember reading an article where he said he wanted to meet me and apologize for how he portrayed me. Now we're never going to have that chance."

Howe says he was very unhappy with the way he was portrayed in the flick -- but says he points the finger at the producers and the writers ... not PSH.

"Even though I didn't agree with the way I was portrayed, I didn't blame him -- he was just playing the part he was given," Howe says.

Robert Schimmel's widow is mishandling money from the late comedian's estate ... according to Schimmel's daughter who's accusing her of cheating the children out of their inheritance.

Schimmel -- who had 5 kids -- was in the middle of a divorce from his 2nd wife, Melissa, when he was killed in a car accident in 2010.

His daughter Jessica Katz fired off a letter to Melissa's attorney ... accusing Melissa of failing to pay his children money owed to them. The letter's not long on details, but she claims at least 2 of the kids are owed $25,000 each.

Jessica wants Melissa to no longer have control of the estate purse strings.

Tyrese Gibson claims his baby mama is using Paul Walker's death to shame him in their child custody war ... TMZ has learned.

Norma Gibson filed court docs claiming Tyrese is a bad dad, who should have stayed in L.A. to spend time with their 6-year-old daughter after Paul Walker's death ... because he had time on his hands since "Fast & Furious 7" was put on hold.

Norma says Tyrese blew off his little girl, choosing instead to go "gallivanting throughout Dubai ... staying in expensive hotels ... partying on yachts, sky-diving with other movie stars, driving expensive cars, and making special appearances in night clubs."

But sources close to Tyrese say he's indignant Norma is using Paul ... and he went to Dubai on business. He had 4 gigs and he needed the money -- ironically to pay the child support Norma was demanding.

Internet sensation Colonel Meow died of CARDIAC ARREST ... triggered while valiantly trying to fight off a kidney infection ... TMZ has learned.

The Colonel's owner Anne Marie Avery tells us ... Meow was rushed to a hospital last week after he started breathing heavily -- and docs quickly realized his kidneys were failing because of an infection.

Colonel fought like cats and dogs for a week ... but stress eventually got the best of him.

Avery plans to create a charity in the Colonel's honor -- and she's already got the support of Grumpy Cat and Keyboard Cat.

Anna Gordy Gaye -- Marvin Gaye's ex-wife and older sister to Motown founder Berry Gordy -- died early this morning in Los Angeles ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the family tell us Anna died at home from natural causes. Family members discovered she had died around 3AM.

Anna and Marvin got married in 1964, and she was a huge influence on his career. She co-composed two hits on his classic "What's Going On" album.

Marvin said his hit song "Pride and Joy" was inspired by his courtship of Anna back in the early 60s.

They had one child together -- Marvin Gaye III -- and eventually divorced in 1977. While they were estranged ... Marvin wrote "Anna's Song." It was released in 1978.

Anna was 92 years old.

Johnny Lewis -- who died in a murderous rampage in 2012 -- left behind a young daughter who's being cheated out of tens of thousands of dollars by Lewis' father ... so says the baby mama who's battling the family in court.

Lewis -- who starred in "Sons of Anarchy" -- died in Sept. 2012 after killing his 81-year old landlady, dismembering her cat and then falling to his death from the roof of her home.

Diane Marshall-Green filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- seeking to remove Johnny's dad, Michael, as administrator of the Estate. She claims Michael refuses to recognize 3-year old Culla Mae as Johnny's sole heir ... even though Johnny signed a declaration of paternity.

Court docs show Lewis was worth about $41K when he died.

Marshall-Green claims Michael is denying Culla her rightful inheritance ... and has refused to fork over $37K Johnny owed in back child support.

Sources close to Marshall-Green tell us ... if Culla Mae gets the money ... it will go into a trust account.

Flavor Flav is begging the judge in his speeding case for mercy ... because if you can't speed to your mom's funeral ... when can you?

Flav says he was late for the funeral earlier this month ... when he was pulled over for driving 79 in a 55 zone. When the cop learned he was driving on a suspended license, Flav was arrested and taken to jail.

The rapper accuses the arresting officer of having no respect for life ... even in the face of death.

Flavor Flav has what he believes is a solid excuse for beating his speeding ticket ... he was racing to his mother's funeral.

Flav -- aka William Drayton -- went to court in NY today for his speeding case ... and yes, he had to remove the clock he wears around his neck before he could go through the metal detectors.

Flav was stopped in Hempstead, NY Jan. 9 for driving 79 in a 55 MPH zone. He told troopers he was on his way to his mom's burial. But officers discovered he had 16 different license suspensions -- all stemming from unpaid tickets. He was arrested ... then released.

Jenni Rivera's former manager is on a rampage after the late singer's family published Jenni's biography -- claiming she's the REAL author ... and now, the manager wants at least $10 million.

Laura Lucio filed a lawsuit against Jenni's estate and family, claiming she managed Jenni since 2004 ... and during that time, she and Jenni co-authored the singer's bio --- "Mi Vida Loca" ("My Crazy Life").

Laura claims the book had several publish dates which were pushed back for different reasons -- and Jenni's sudden death in a freak plane crash in 2012 ultimately derailed the project.

Fast forward to July 2013 -- Laura claims Jenni's family somehow found the book on Jenni's computer and published it under a new title "Unbreakable" ... without so much as consulting Laura, let alone paying her.

Laura claims 95% of the book is her writings -- and under the deal she struck with Jenni, she's owed 40% of the book's profits. So far, Laura claims she's gotten squat.

Laura's now suing for at least $10,000,000. A rep for Jenni's estate says the family plans to fight the lawsuit.

An actress from Martin Scorsese's first film was hit by THREE CARS before she died in 2012 -- one of which dragged her 600 feet ... and her husband is now suing everyone involved in the accident.

Zina Bethune's husband Sean is suing Independent Taxi, one of its cabbies, as well as two other drivers ... claiming it's their fault Zina was killed on Forest Lawn Drive on February 12, 2012.

Zina -- who starred in Scorsese's 1967 debut film "Who's That Knocking at My Door" -- had just exited her car to help an injured animal on the side of the road ... and Sean recounts the tragedy that unfolded.

According to Sean, a taxi driver immediately collided with Zina, causing his left side view mirror to break. Sean says the driver left Zina in the middle lane of traffic while he retrieved his mirror, failing to assist Zina in any capacity as she lay in the roadway.

Soon after, Sean claims Zina was hit by a second car ... which dragged her body 600 feet.

At that point, Sean says a THIRD car then ran over Zina ... and when that driver pulled over, she noticed the taxi driver attempting to leave the scene ... so she blocked him. Zina didn't survive the accidents.