Remembering Cory Monteith On The Tenth Anniversary Of His Death

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — A decade after his death shocked “Glee” fans, Cory Monteith is still being mourned.

The Canadian actor, who portrayed student athlete turned Glee club member Finn Hudson on the Fox series, was found dead from an overdose in a Vancouver, British Columbia, hotel room on July 13, 2013.

He was 31 years old.

It was a stunning end to a meteoric rise for the young star. Monteith initially battled drug addiction in his teens and explained his decision to open up about his struggles during a 2011 interview.

“People have always made a lot of assumptions you know,” he said. “You look, you see this young all-American quarterback look and dude on the show and you just immediately make assumptions, and I think people started really identifying me with those assumptions…and I understand that. But at the same time, I felt like I had to step in at some point and relate to people my experience and relate to people the truth of you know my life.”

Monteith found his way to acting after dropping out of school at the age of 16, a stint in rehab and working manual labor.

After an acting coach told him he had talent, Monteith had a few small roles before he landed the part of Finn in “Glee” in 2009.

The show took off, making the entire cast famous seemingly overnight. “Glee” spun into a cottage industry that included concerts and singles for download.

It also prompted a romance between Monteith and costar Lea Michele, who played his character’s girlfriend, Rachel Berry, on the show. The couple were still together at the time of his death, which the show marked by having Finn die in Season 5 on an episode titled “The Quarterback.”

Many shared their sorrow and memories of Monteith on social media on Thursday to mark the anniversary of his death.

Monteith’s former roommate Justin Neil talked to Newsweek about what the decade has been like since his friend’s passing.

It feels like two lifetimes ago, and sometimes it feels like yesterday,” Neil said.

The anniversary of Monteith’s death also marks the day his “Glee” costar Naya Rivera’s body was found in Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, in 2020.

Rivera drowned during a boat outing with her young son, sparking a six-day search for her. She was 33.

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