Few things bring more pain than the tragic end of a promising life.
Cory Monteith’s death in July 2013 was one such tragedy.
Monteith hadentered rehabfor treatment, but he ultimately died after a reported heroin overdose, perThe New York Times.
But behind the wall of struggle and success, Monteith was just a regular guy.
“Being a celebrity is not my vocation,” he once said in aninterview with Maclean’s.
Born in Calgary, Canada, Monteith turned to acting by sheer chance bless our luck!
after a spate of odd jobs (viaCBC).
He was really special to work with."
Though his time among us was brief, Monteith lived a dynamic life worth remembering.
Here are some snapshots about the man he was.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
In what is believed to be his final interview and only a month before his passing Monteith toldE!
It’s really good."
Reports later showed that his final days were spent among friends.E!
The late star had begun taking stimulants as early as age13.
All that kind of crap."
He had reportedly switched schools a total of 12 times, before dropping out altogether at 16.
“Drugs were his way of checking out,” she said.
“He never missed my birthday,” she toldPeoplein 2018, five years after her son’s death.
She had last met with Monteith just two days before he passed, she revealed onABC.
According toParade, Monteith’s parents divorced when he was only 7.
McGregor reportedly raised him as a single mother in Victoria, Canada.
When he fell into drugs, she intervened and arranged for him professional help.
At the time, “no one really caught on” with their backstage fling, Michele toldElle.
PerParade, he moved to Nanaimo, Canada and began his career working as a roofer.
Brief jobs at Walmart and 7-Eleven also figured among his work experiences, according toGQ.
Acting happened by chance, apparently through a grapevine of friends.
By his ownadmission, Monteith had “never been afraid of auditioning for jobs.”
(In character, Monteith later sang this track on “Glee” as well.)
“I was so nervous, but you just got to swallow and go for it.”
He definitely did and the rest is history.
“I wouldn’t even sing karaoke with my friends at a bar,” Monteith revealed toBoston Herald.
So, how did he then play the high-school-football-jock-turned-stage-performer on the show with such conviction?
“He wasn’t a singer.
Definitely wasn’t a dancer.
So adeptly did he master the musical craft that he even scored a solo deal with Columbia Records.
In 2009, the two properly met after Joe reached him on Facebook.
“At some point, you realize your parents are human.
They make the best decisions they can with the options available to them.”
He was also not invited for Monteith’s cremation.
She also explained that Joe’s exclusion from Monteith’s memorial was due to his abandonment of the family.
So it turns out, he was every bit the romantic in real life as we had imagined.
Monteith’s friend Brook Lander Shurtz, accounting for the late star’s kindness, toldE!
Shurtz described his friend as a “kind, selfless, genuine person that gave.”
It’s anexclusive club, of which “Glee” actor Cory Monteith is apparently a part.
In 2010, the Canadian was briefly linked to the singer-songwriter.
However, anotherreportby the outlet stated, quoting sources, that the duo were strictly “just friends.”
Off-screen too, Morrison was closest to Monteith out of all the cast members, the 43-year-old toldHollywood Life.
I love keeping his memory alive, and his bright light shining.
He inspired so many, including myself.”
