Actor, fellow Canadian, and one of the most genuinely kind, down to earth actors this TV Addict had ever had the privilege of interviewing was found dead in his Vancouver waterfront hotel room on Saturday afternoon. According to Deputy Police Chief Doug Leopard via the NYTIMES, “there there was no indication of foul play. Monteith’s body was found by hotel staff after he missed his check-out time.”
Not surprisingly, GLEE’s producers, Fox and 20th Century Fox Television have already released a statement with regards to this tragic and unexpected news. “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.”
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
In the meantime, co-stars, fans and friends have already taken to Twitter to react.
RIP CoryMontieth. You will be loved. Always.
— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) July 14, 2013
OMG!! My Cory…
— iqbal theba (@iqbaltheba) July 14, 2013
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
What I will remember about Cory Monteith is that he was talented, funny and absolutely kindhearted. We lost a gentleman. RIP
— Cheyenne Jackson (@cheyennejackson) July 14, 2013
I am totally heartbroken right now. I love Cory so much this hurts my heart.
— Lauren Potter (@TheLaurenPotter) July 14, 2013
The guy I shot my first acting scene with. The nicest guy I’ve met. Can’t believe it.
— Damian Mc Ginty (@damianmcginty) July 14, 2013
I’m gutted. Shocked and saddened to hear the news, my heart goes out to Cory’s family and friends. Lets respect their space as they grieve.
— Nina Dobrev (@ninadobrev) July 14, 2013
Here’s the full statement from acting Vancouver Police Chief Doug LePard:
“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 checkout 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.”