Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead at Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel Saturday, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. He was 31.
The actor was found at noon Saturday on the hotel’s 21st floor, Vancouver police said in a news conference. He checked into the hotel July 6, and was expected to check out Saturday. When Monteith missed his checkout time at noon, hotel staff went to his room and discovered his body.
Police said Monteith was with other people Friday night. An examination of hotel video footage showed him returning to his room alone early Saturday morning. Police believe he was alone when he died. No cause of death was given and no foul play is suspected, police said. Police are questioning the people he was with Friday night. It was unclear if he was with any Glee cast mates or his longtime girlfriend and co-star Lea Michele.
In March, Monteith voluntarily checked himself into rehab for substance abuse. He previously checked into rehab when he was 19. It was unclear why the British Columbia-native had checked into the Vancouver hotel. He was a frequent visitor to Vancouver during hiatus.
Family, Vancouver police said, have just been informed. He had been deceased for several hours when his body had been discovered.
“We are so saddened to confirm that the reports on the death of Cory Monteith are accurate. We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss,” representatives for the actor told THR in a statement.
Glee executive producers, producers 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Broadcasting Co. said in a statement: “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.”
Monteith has played Finn Hudson, the lovable boy-next door on Glee, since it debuted in 2009. He also has a role in the upcoming indie All the Wrong Reasons. It’s unclear how Monteith’s sudden passing would impact production on Glee, which is poised to premiere its fifth season on Sept. 19.
Monteith’s Glee co-star Mark Salling, who played Finn’s best friend Puck, took to Twitter on Saturday as news of his friend’s death had spread with a poignant, “no.” Castmate Dot-Marie Jones used all-caps to convey her grief.
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
— Dot-Marie Jones (@dotmariejones) July 14, 2013
Full statement from Acting Vancouver Police Chief Doug LePard follows:
“Shortly after noon Saturday, the Vancouver Police received a call from the BC Ambulance Service regarding a sudden death in a room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel at 1038 Canada Place in downtown Vancouver.
Police attended within minutes of the call and paramedics advised the man in the room was clearly deceased. Coroner’s staff did attend the scene.
The deceased has been identified as 31-year-old actor Cory Monteith, who achieved great fame on the popular TV series Glee.
Before I give further information, on behalf of the Vancouver Police, I want to pass on our condolences to the family, friends, castmates and millions of fans of Mr. Monteith. As was the case in countless homes, I watched Glee regularly with my daughters, and I know there will be shock and sadness in many households with the news of his tragic death.
Mr. Monteith checked into the hotel in July 6th and was due to check out of the room today. There were others with Mr. Monteith in his room earlier last 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.
When he missed his check-out time, staff went to the room at noon and found his body.
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.
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.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. The Coroner will be determining the next steps with respect to establishing cause of death, but all indications are that there was no foul play.”