Philip Baker Hall shares about working with Philip Seymour Hoffman and how deep the loss is of such a talented actor

Many people have spoken out in mourning the tragic loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman, some who knew him well and some who will always be fans. Veteran actor Philip Baker Hall has starred in more than 75 films over 40 years, and he says some of his favorites were when he worked alongside Hoffman.

Some of those fond memories were when the actors worked with legendary filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast the two in 1996's Hard Eight, 1997's Boogie Nights and 1999's Magnolia. Hoffman and Hall also collaborated for 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Hall wrote to Rolling Stone to express his loss and fondness for the late actor, who died of an apparent drug overdose on Sunday morning.

"He was a great artist and amazing actor," Hall wrote. "As a man, I found his generosity and purity of spirit was absolutely remarkable."

He wrote about how impressed he was with Hoffman's ability to improvise and his sense of timing as an actor. He described him of having the instincts of an "older trooper" even at a young age. Unlike many other actors in the industry, Hall wrote that as he worked more with Hoffman he realized he was a genius and didn't need the training everyone else did. He says he arrived "fully formed."

He ended his letter with this touching statement:

"His death is an absolute shock and loss to the whole world of artists. Everybody will feel this loss, whether they know it or not. You can't lose a person of this dynamic and importance without it lessening the whole fabric of art. I'm also thinking of the younger actors. He was relatively young, but for many, he had already become an icon and they will certainly be affected by this as well. The whole film and theater community will suffer this loss for a long time."