As Vancouver authorities try to determine the cause of Cory Monteith’s death at age 31, the Glee actor’s girlfriend Lea Michele is mourning in private. Soon after Monteith’s tragic passing was announced, a rep for Michele released a statement requesting privacy.
"We ask that everyone kindly respect Lea's privacy during this devastating time. Thank you,” the rep said.
Michele and Monteith had dated for more than a year. When Monteith voluntarily entered rehab for addiction in March, Michele publicly supported him. "I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this. I am grateful and proud he made this decision,” she said at the time.
Monteith had struggled with addition since he was a teenager. In 2011, he told Parade magazine that he became addicted to drugs in high school and dropped out of school at 16. He entered rehab for the first time at 19-years-old because his family staged an intervention. "I did the stint but then went back to doing exactly what I left off doing,” he said.
Monteith finally got sober after he was caught stealing money from a family member. “It was a cry for help,” he told Parade.
There was no immediate indication that drugs played a factor in his death. Monteith was found dead in his room at Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver on Saturday morning. Police say the cause of death is under investigation.
"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," said Acting Police Chief Doug LePard. "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."
Monteith was out with friends Friday night. "There were others with Mr. Monteith in his room earlier [Friday] 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," added LePard.
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