Canadian actor Cory Allan Michael Monteith, aged 31, who played heart throb Finn Hudson in Fox TV musical-comedy hit television
series ‘Glee’,
was found dead on Saturday around noon at the
Pacific Rim Hotel in his 21st-floor room in the city centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,
police said.
Police and paramedics found
no signs of foul play and the cause of death was not clear, British Columbia
Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said at a news conference.
Medical examiners will
conduct an autopsy on Monday.
His body was discovered by Fairmont
Pacific Rim Hotel staff members after he missed his checkout time at midday on
Saturday, Vancouver Police Department acting Chief Doug
LePard told reporters. The actor had been dead for several hours when police and paramedics found his body by answering an emergency
call, he added.
Responding to a question about whether
the 31-year-old actor, Monteith died of a drug overdose, Mr LePard said he
would "not discuss anything that we might have found in the room at this
time".
Calgary-born Cory Allan Michael Monteith had checked into the Fairmont Pacific
Rim Hotel on 6 July and was expected to check out of the luxury hotel on
Saturday, 13th July, 2013.
Other people were in Monteith's
Pacific Rim Hotel room on Friday night
but evidence, including fob key entries, indicated he returned to his room by
himself early on Saturday and was alone when he died, police said. Police are questioning the people he was with Friday
night. It was unclear if he was with any Glee castmates or his long-time girlfriend
and co-star Lea Michele.
Michele was last photographed in Mexico on July 9. There has been no
public response from the 26-year-old actress yet. Though a spokesperson for
Michele told THR, "We ask that
everyone kindly respect Lea's privacy during this devastating time."
The
on-screen couple Monteith
and Michele went public with their
off-screen romance in February, 2012. The
actress and singer discussed her feelings for her co-star in an interview in
Marie Claire magazine earlier this year.
'I don't even remember a time when he wasn't my boyfriend. No one knows
me better than Cory,' Lea told the January issue of the magazine.
'No one knows what it's been like to go through this more than he does.
Feeling like you have that net underneath you allows you to jump higher and go
farther. He makes me feel like I can do anything.
'For the first time in my life, I feel really, really settled and happy.
I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.'
Cory Monteith, the Canadian actor and singer, who had been in the musical comedy ‘Glee’ since its 2009 start, and famously played the character of Finn Hudson, a popular high school football player turned enthusiastic singer in the glee club, or vocal group, had been frank about his struggles with substance abuse and in April, this year, he completed voluntary treatment for unspecified substance addiction at a rehab facility. He had checked himself into rehab in March.
Lea was supportive of his
decision when he checked into rehab and said in
a statement: "I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this.
I am grateful and proud he made this decision."
He had been suffering from drug abuse since he was 13 and was previously
treated for substance abuse at 19 when he went into rehab after his mother and friends
intervened.
In an interview with the New York Times
in 2011, the Calgary native, Cory Monteith had said that he hoped his struggles with addiction would serve as an
example to others.
“I don’t want kids to think it’s O.K. to
drop out of school and get high, and they’ll be famous actors, too,” he said.
“But for those people who might give up: Get real about what you want and go
after it.”
"We are so saddened to confirm that
the reports on the death of Cory Monteith are accurate," a press representative
for the late actor at Viewpoint Public Relations said in a statement. "We
are in shock and mourning this tragic loss."
The news of Monteith’s death prompted an
outpouring of grief, heartfelt tributes and remembrances from his Glee co-stars,
friends, colleagues and TV, film and music stars on Twitter.
Dot-Marie Jones, who played
Finn’s former football coach, Shannon
Beiste at the
fictional William McKinley High tweeted: "I have no words! My heart is
broken. Cory was not only a hell of a friend, he was one amazing man that I
will hold close to my heart forever.”
"I am blessed to have worked with
him and love him so much! My heart is with his family and our whole Glee
family! I love you all!"
The Fox Broadcasting
Company, 20th Century Fox Television and the executive producers of “Glee” said
in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Cory was an
exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to
work with and we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are
with his family and loved ones.”
The news had begun to spread on Twitter
on Saturday night although there was no official comment made at that point.
Many believed it to be hoax, as it is not the first time news of his death had
spread over the internet.
Sadly, this time the rumours turned out
to be true.
Here's
the full statement from Vancover Acting Police Chief Doug
LePard on the death of 31-year-old
Glee actor Cory Monteith:
"Shortly after noon Saturday,
the Vancouver Police received a call from the BC Ambulance Service regarding a
sudden death in a room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel at
1038 Canada Place in downtown Vancouver.
Police attended within minutes of the
call and paramedics advised the man in the room was clearly deceased. Coroner’s
staff did attend the scene.
The deceased has been identified as
31-year-old actor Cory Monteith, who achieved great fame on the popular TV
series Glee.
Before I give further information, on
behalf of the Vancouver Police, I want to pass on our condolences to the
family, friends, castmates and millions of fans of Mr. Monteith. As was the
case in countless homes, I watched Glee regularly with my daughters, and I know
there will be shock and sadness in many households with the news of his tragic
death.
Mr. Monteith checked into the hotel
in July 6th and was due to check out of the room today. There were others with
Mr. Monteith in his room earlier last night, but video and fob key entries show
him returning to his room by himself in the early morning hours and we believe
he was alone when he died.
When he missed his checkout time,
staff went to the room at noon and found his body.
We know there will be considerable
interest in this case, and we have detectives assigned to the case who attended
with our Forensic Identification Unit to examine the scene, to ensure to the
extent possible that there are no unanswered questions.
Hotel video has been secured as well
as room access records. Our investigators have spoken with hotel staff, who are
providing the utmost in cooperation.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
The Coroner will be determining the next steps with respect to establishing
cause of death, but all indications are that there was no foul play."
