Cory Monteith, the young actor who shot to fame in the hit TV series Glee but was beset by addiction struggles so fierce that he once said he was lucky to be alive, was found dead in a hotel room, police said. He was 31.
Monteith, who played the character Finn Hudson on the TV series about a high school glee club, was found dead in his room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel on Vancouver’s waterfront at about noon Saturday, according to police.
Deputy Police Chief Doug Lepard said there was no indication of foul play. Monteith’s body was found by hotel staff after he missed his check-out time, Lepard said.
“We do not have a great deal of information as to cause of death,” Coroner Lisa Lapointe said.
Lepard said Monteith had been out with people earlier and that those people are being interviewed.
In April, he admitted himself to a treatment facility for “substance addiction” and asked for privacy as he took steps toward recovery, a representative said at the time.
Lea Michele, his Glee co-star and real-life girlfriend, told People magazine that she loved and supported Monteith and was proud he was seeking help.
It was not Monteith’s first time in rehab. He received treatment when he was 19 and had previously talked about his addiction struggles, saying he had a serious problem and took just “anything and everything”.
He told Parade in 2011 that he was "lucky to be alive".
Monteith, who turned 31 on May 11, starred in Glee as Finn Hudson, a high school football player who puts his status and popularity at risk to join the glee club and its outcast members. Michele played his on-air girlfriend in Glee, Rachel Berry.
The show, with its pop music-based musical numbers and high-profile guest stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, became an immediate hit and made stars of its relatively unknown cast.
On his Twitter account, Monteith described himself as “tall, awkward, Canadian, actor, drummer, person”.
Hollywood reacts to Monteith’s death on Twitter
I feel like I lost a friend. The world has. When I worked with @CoreyMonteith on Glee and every time I saw him, he was so nice. SO NICE. – Perez Hilton
RIP CoryMonteith. You will be loved. Always. – Kristin Chenoweth (worked on
Glee
)
No words. Prayers. Thoughts w/ his family. This is terrible. Can’t speak. – Kaley Cuoco
I can’t fully process this news. Tragic, tragic loss of a young, promising, talented man. – Kat Dennings
Awful. My heart goes out to his family and friends. – Patrick Wilson
Prayers for his family. Praying for Lea too! Words can’t describe what they must be feeling. – Kim Kardashian
Way too soon. A very nice & good guy. – Joel McHale
What I will remember about Cory Monteith is that he was talented, funny and absolutely kindhearted. We lost a gentleman. – Cheyenne Jackson
