Glee star Cory Monteith died of heroin and alcohol overdose

The coroner in British Columbia has announced that Cory Monteith, the star of hit TV musical show Glee, died as a result of a heroin and alcohol overdose in his hotel room in Vancouver.

The coroner stated that there was no reason to think that the death of the 31-year-old Canadian actor was “anything other than a tragic accident”. He was found on Saturday in his hotel room after his failure to check out at midday on the 13^th July caused alarm. He is believed to have been alone when he died, as video footage shows him returning to the room by himself.

Police have reported that Mr Monteith, who played Finn Hudson on the popular musical show, is believed to have been dead for several hours before he was found. He had been staying at the hotel for one week.

Mr Monteith had been treated for drug addiction in April, taking time out from filming later episodes of season four of Glee in order to check into rehab. He had previously been open and honest regarding his struggle with addiction in the past and was treated for drug abuse at the age of 19. Speaking frankly in one previous interview, he said that when he was a teenager he “took anything and everything” and felt “lucky to be alive”.

A statement issued to People magazine by Mr Monteith’s partner Lea Michele, who was his co-star and on screen love interest in Glee, explained how she was “deeply grateful for all the love and support she’s received from family, friends and fans”.

She added that she had been “grieving alongside his family and making appropriate arrangements with them” and “they are supporting each other as they endure this profound loss together”.

The statement ended by asking the media to respect the privacy of both Lea and Cory’s families at this difficult time.

Molly Kersey