Matthew E. White shares Phillip Seymour Hoffman tribute on the one-year anniversary of the actor’s death (listen)

A year ago today we lost Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I didn't know Phillip, but I had watched everything he did for 15 years. To me, he was everything one could ever want to be in an artist, and although I am no actor I was much more of a student than a fan. Very soon after his death it became crystal clear to me that I wanted to try very hard and write a song for him. He deserved something from me, something that honored him, and showed how grateful I was for all he had given. His death was immensely sad and as deaths such as these go, leaves us crushed that a life so bright has been dimmed. There is a duality in these circumstances, it's a place where we find darkness in the light, but more powerfully, we find light in the darkness. I tried to find music that felt the same. It's my best shot, and it's called Tranquility.

To a man that showed me, over and over, what excellence and craft is, here is a song for you.

Matthew E. White's genuinely lovely Phillip Seymour Hoffman tribute, "Tranquility," is on the singer's new album, Fresh Blood, which is out March 10 via Domino. Listen below.

You can catch Matthew E. White in NYC on March 3 at the BRIC House -- tickets are still available.

---