Obama spokesman: Philip Seymour Hoffman ‘a remarkable talent’

President Barack Obama’s chief spokesman said Monday that the death of gifted actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was “tragic” and that anyone who cared for “incredibly powerful” performances was a fan.

“It's hard to imagine if you are a fan of incredibly powerful acting that you weren't a fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was just a remarkable talent, in my view,” Jay Carney told reporters. “It's very sad news.”

Carney underlined that he was speaking for himself and had not discussed the actor’s death with Obama.

While the president has formally commented on the passing of some performers, such as Whitney Houston, it was not clear whether he would do so in this case.