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Glee documentary shared heartbreaking revelation surrounding tragic death of Cory Monteith
Home>Entertainment>Celebrity
Updated 16:49 8 May 2025 GMT+1Published 14:54 8 May 2025 GMT+1

Glee documentary shared heartbreaking revelation surrounding tragic death of Cory Monteith

He was loved for his portrayal as Finn Hudson in the hit US show

James Moorhouse

James Moorhouse

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Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing

Glee might have once been a feel-good hit Hollywood series beloved by musical theatre kids across the world, but it has since become a show associated with tragedy.

A group of talented young actors made their debuts on the high-school series back in 2009 and they would all soon become extremely famous. But by the time 2020 arrived, three of them would tragically be dead.

Cory Monteith, who played an American football star turned musical performer, tragically lost his life in 2013 during filming of the show, after mixing heroin and alcohol.

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Mark Salling and Naya Rivera, two other huge stars of the comedy-drama, also died in 2018 and 2020 respectively, with the former taking his own life as he faced a prison sentence for possession of child pornography, while Rivera tragically drowned, with her final actions saving the life of her four-year-old son.

While the youngsters aren't alone in the heartbreaking number of actors and musicians who have sadly lost their lives since appearing on the show, it was perhaps Monteith's death which was the most shocking, given that his co-stars were forced to address his passing in the show itself.

And now, a heartbreaking revelation has come to light following an Investigation Discovery mini-series titled The Price of Glee, which studies how Monteith, Salling and Rivera sadly lost their lives.

Monteith's former roommate Justin Neill spoke about how Cory's actions had changed in the months leading up to his death.

Glee remains hugely popular to this day (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)
Glee remains hugely popular to this day (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)

He said: "I specifically remember this being after season two, where he wanted to enjoy some part of life, but he's just non-stop going, going, going. Cory seemed like he was getting more and more neurotic, and more isolated.”

Elsewhere in the three-part documentary series, which you can watch on Discovery+, former hair stylist on the show Dugg Kirkpatrick came forward and made a distrubing allegation

The Emmy-nominated hairdresser had worked with the star on the hit Fox series and continued to cut his hair after he left the production.

He said: “He was clean all the way up until he asked me for that haircut. He wasn't drinking, he didn't have any drugs in his system.

"But then, in the end, in the very last couple days that I saw him, he was different. He was under the influence of alcohol.”

Monteith and Rivera are tragically both now dead (John Medina/WireImage)
Monteith and Rivera are tragically both now dead (John Medina/WireImage)

And it seems as if Kirkpatrick believes that it was a co-star of Monteith's that pressured him into relapsing, although he refused to name them.

He added: "He said he was at a party and hadn't been drinking, and he wanted to have a drink, but he knew he shouldn't.

"He was told by a certain cast member that night, 'If you want to have a drink, you should have a drink. I'll be here, you can trust that I'll always be here.'”

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week

Featured Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Documentaries

James Moorhouse
James Moorhouse

James is a NCTJ Gold Standard journalist covering a wide range of topics and news stories for LADbible. After two years in football writing, James switched to covering news with Newsquest in Cumbria, before joining the LAD team in 2025. In his spare time, James is a long-suffering Rochdale fan and loves reading, running and music. Contact him via [email protected]

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@JimmyMoorhouse

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