It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole decade since Cory Monteith died. The Glee actor’s former girlfriend and costar, Lea Michele, took to Instagram to post a tribute, sharing a sweet photo of the two of them together that was snapped more than 10 years ago.
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She wrote about how much she misses him.
"It feels like only yesterday that you were here and yet a million years ago all at the same time," she wrote. "I hold all of our memories in my heart where they will stay safe and never forgotten."
Lea and Cory played Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson on Glee. The characters in the musical TV series were an unlikely romantic pairing, but their on-screen romance became an off-screen romance in 2012. They were still dating when Cory died in 2013.
"We miss you every day and will never forget the light you brought to us all. I miss you big guy. I hope you found Taylor up there and are playing the drums together," she finished, referencing Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died in 2022.
Cory Monteith's death was tragic and unexpected.
Cory was found dead in a hotel room at Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel on July 13, 2013.
He died as a result of mixing heroin and alcohol.
"We are so saddened to confirm that the reports on the death of Cory Monteith are accurate," his reps wrote at the time. "We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss."
The show said goodbye to Cory's character after his death as well.
Glee did continue after Cory’s death. The show honored him in the third episode of season five, aptly titled "The Quarterback."
Lea, in character as Rachel Berry, sang a version of Bob Dylan’s "Make You Feel My Love" in honor of Finn.
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Lea's the one who broke the news about Cory to his mom.
In a 2018 interview with People, Cory’s mother, Ann McGregor, recalled that she learned about her son’s death from Lea.
"I got a call from Lea and she was screaming on the phone," she said. "She was yelling, 'Is it true, is it true about Cory?' and I said, 'What about Cory?' I had heard nothing. And then police knocked on my front door."
"Cory didn’t want to die," she said. "There is no doubt about that. But he’s carried in people’s hearts forever."
Lea has honored Cory in a permanent way.
This isn’t the first tribute Lea has posted for her late boyfriend. She has at least two tattoos in honor of Cory and his character.
In July 2019, six years after his death, the actress shared a photo on Instagram of the "Finn" thigh tattoo she got.
She got her first tattoo honoring Corey in 2016: the number 5, which was his character’s football jersey number.
"For my Quarterback … #5," she wrote.
