There’s been shock in Hollywood this weekend with the news that 31-year-old Cory Monteith, best known as Glee’s Finn Hudson, was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room. No cause of death has been released, although speculation has inevitably surrounded substance abuse. It’s known that Monteith has struggled with addiction since his teens, most recently booking himself into a rehab facility in April.
Vancouver Police Department Acting Chief Doug LePard said he would not discuss anything found in the actor’s room at the time of his death, although an autopsy is due to take place today.
Monteith got his start with guest star spots in a number of TV shows, including an arc on Kyle XY. He is best known for playing Finn Hudson on Glee. Other credits include Monte Carlo, Final Destination 3, and The Invisible.
Fox, which produces Glee, released a statement saying,”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.”
Many of his co-stars also reacted to his death, with Mark Salling simply tweeting, ‘No’, while Iqbal Theba said, ‘OMG!! My Cory…’, while Dot Marie Jones added, ‘I HAVE NO WORDS! MY HEART IS BROKEN CORY WAS NOT ONLY A HELL OF A FRIEND HE WAS ONE AMAZING MEN 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 HID FAMILY AND OUR WHOLE GLEE FAMILY! I LOVE YOU ALL!’
Monteith was dating co-star Lea Michele at the time of his death. Her representatives has asked for people to give her space to grieve.