The Brilliance of a Dying Star

I remember the day that John Belushi died of a drug overdose. I was a sophomore in college - March 1982. That night a bunch of us watched the film, "Animal House" and had too much to drink.
       Call it a coping mechanism.
       Today I remember that event because another brilliant star faded from this world prematurely, such as Belushi did 30 years ago.
       Philip Seymour Hoffman died of yet another drug overdose, this time in Greenwich Village. Hoffman was 46 years old.
       Nobody will question Hoffman's absolute brilliance as an actor, both live on stage as well as in film. He captured Truman Capote in the 2006 film in a halting manner, in ways that no other actor could do. There is no question that Hoffman will be missed in so many ways in the entertainment industry.
       We are left with nagging questions in the aftermath of this tragedy. They are the same questions which rattled around in my head and heart 30 years ago when Belushi left us far too soon.

     1. We glamorize and idolize people in the entertainment industry, but why do we not question or challenge their lifestyle decisions (such as abusing drugs)?
     2. I have wondered what the relationship is between a person's brilliant creativity and their drug-taking? Would John Belushi had been as funny in Animal House if he had not been high on drugs for many of the takes?
     3. The Screen Actors Guild is one of the most powerful unions in the United States. With such power and influence, can the SAG institute drug-testing for actors in a manner that Major League Baseball is now testing players for drugs?
     I don't know any famous entertainers. I have found myself on the fringe of "celebrity sightings" when we have visited family in Malibu and West LA. My primary emotion at such times of seeing someone famous in a shop or restaurant is great sadness. While they may be wealthy and famous, I wonder what such notoriety does to a person's soul. And then perhaps I catch a glimpse into the tortured world of Philip Seymour Hoffman (may he rest in peace).