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Glee star Cory Monteith died of “mixed-drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol,” according to an initial autopsy report conducted by the British Columbia Coroner’s Service.
PHOTOS: Cory Monteith’s Career in Pictures
Monteith was found dead in his 21st-floor hotel room at the upscale Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver on July 13. Hotel staff discovered his body after he missed his noon checkout time. He was 31.
The investigation into his death by the coroner’s office is continuing. No additional details were immediately available. Once the investigation is completed, a coroner’s report will be issued. Funeral details have not been released.
Autopsy and pharmacology tests were being fast-tracked, given the widespread media attention surrounding Monteith’s sudden death. The Vancouver police held an impromptu news conference Saturday night to get out ahead of the story and prevent media speculation from escalating.
In March, Monteith voluntarily checked himself into a treatment facility for substance abuse. It was the actor’s second trip in rehab, having also done a stint when he was 19. Production on Glee was not impacted, but Monteith was written out of the final two episodes of season four. The actor, who became the face of Fox’s global phenomenon after the series launched in 2009, received the full support of the network, producers 20th Century Fox Television and his real-life girlfriend and on-screen love interest, Lea Michele.
“I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this,” Michele told THR at the time. “I am grateful and proud he made this decision.”
“I am so proud of Cory Monteith and love and support him 100 percent,” co-creator Ryan Murphy wrote at the time. Added co-creator Brad Falchuk: “Cory is like a son to me. He knows I love him.”
Michele has yet to comment on Monteith’s passing. Monteith and Michele, who have played the on-again, off-again onscreen couple Finn and Rachel since Glee‘s inception, went public with their romance last year. In late June, the cast gathered for press photos, with Michele tweeting an image that included the late actor with his signature wide smile.
Monteith was not shy about his past issues with drugs and substance abuse. In a revealing interview with Parade in 2011, he admitted he was “out of control” by the time he turned 16, nine years after his parents divorced. “Anything and everything, as much as possible,” he said of his drug use during his teen years. “I had a serious problem.”
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It’s unclear whether Glee will make its planned Sept. 19 season-five premiere. Monteith was slated to be a major player in the first few episodes, and the cast was scheduled to resume production on the series later this month. Historically, Glee has not been afraid to take on major issues. During its first four seasons, the Fox musical has addressed teen pregnancy, eating disorders, texting while driving and more. The series has only briefly touched on death.
Glee‘s Matthew Morrison dedicated an a capella version of the A Chorus Line song, “What I Did for Love,” Sunday at a show in New York City’s 54 Below. Michele had performed the song on Glee during its second season.
Watch the video version of the release on Monteith’s cause of death, below.
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