Cory Monteith stormed the entertainment industry in the early 2000s, fast becoming an idolized figure in Hollywood. However, before the world could get enough of the rising star, he succumbed to the vices that plagued him throughout his youth.
Late actor and singer Cory Monteith battled demons throughout his life, even in the throes of his Hollywood stardom. From a childhood of hardship to his struggles with addiction, this icon threaded the roughest waves in the course of his life.
Sadly, those demons eventually caught up with him, cutting short his promising dreams and ambitions. While his sudden loss left a vacuum in the hearts of his ever-growing fans, his loved ones have continued to uphold his legacy several years later.
Cory Monteith: Early Life
Monteith came from difficult beginnings. His early years comprised a rarely-seen dad serving in the army, and a struggling mom working as an interior designer. His childhood hardships only worsened when his parents divorced just seven years after his birth.
The icon, born in May 1982, was forced to grow up with his mother and elder brother in Victoria, British Columbia. However, growing up without a dad figure took a negative toll on the youngster, leading to numerous social difficulties.
He became a troubled kid, so much that his performance in school dwindled. According to mom, Ann McGregor, Monteith was so smart as a child, even learning to read as early as three.
His intellectual abilities led him to advance more than his peers. He skipped two grades along the line. Hence, he ended up hanging with kids much older than him, which would eventually become his bane.
Ann recalled how the once-bright kid became drawn to the vices of the older crowd he associated with. By 13, he began smoking Marijuana and consuming alcohol excessively.
Ann attributed his pull towards the darker world to his curiosity. All the while, he strived to keep these vices from his mom, knowing it would break her heart.
Earlier Interventions
Soon, Monteith’s illicit ways began telling on the boy’s personal life and education. Truancy became a norm for him. That and other vices led to his expulsion from various schools. Before his sixteenth birthday, Cory Monteith had attended about sixteen schools, including special programs for troubled teens.
Of course, at this time, his mom already knew about his obsession with the dark ways. She attempted to turn his situation for the better when she first discovered just how invested he was in drugs and alcoholism, forcing him into rehab at fifteen.
However, that did little to change him for the better. Monteith eventually dropped out of school at sixteen, embracing a life of petty crimes to fund his addictions.
His mother, this time, backed by a group of friends staged another intervention for the star at nineteen. He enrolled in rehab a second time and attained sobriety.
After engaging in a series of odd jobs, the newly-transformed Monteith relocated to Los Angeles to chase his acting dreams.
While the move paid off, culminating in a massive Hollywood breakthrough both in the movie and music scenes, Ann McGregor believed her son was not quite ready for stardom.
Encountering A Relapse
Perhaps, Ann McGregor was right about her son’s fame and success. Somewhere along the line in his Hollywood journey, Cory Monteith went back to his old demons, admitting in December 2012 that he had relapsed.
A year prior, the actor shared his life experiences and “past” struggles with drugs and alcohol during an interview. At the time, he expressed hopes that being open about it would help others like him, especially struggling teenagers, find a way out of a difficult situation.
The singer also explained why he fell into the throes of addiction in the first place. For him, turning to drugs and alcohol was just a bid to take on the “bad kid” persona to better fit in. He attributed those wrong choices to his lack of “a self-image” at the time.
Having shared his take as an addiction survivor in 2011, news of his relapse came as a surprise to his loved ones who were quick to intervene. Notably, reports of Monteith’s relapse came the same year he played a drug-addicted hustler in the movie “McCanick,” tapping into his past as a troubled youth.
Cory Monteith’s Third Rehab Stint And Death
Cory Monteith had a third stint in rehab in April 2013, after his “Glee” co-stars noticed his addiction problems and staged an intervention. The show arranged his admission into a rehabilitation facility on March 31, 2013, writing him off the final two episodes of the fourth season.
After a month at the facility, the icon was discharged upon completion of treatment. Sadly, he died barely three months later, with traces of heroin and alcohol found in his system.
Autopsy reports ruled Cory Monteith’s cause of death in July 2013 as a “mixed drug toxicity.” He was 31.
Cory Monteith Lives On
The sudden loss broke the hearts of everyone who cared about the actor, including his mom, and girlfriend Lea Michele, who played his love interest on “Glee.”
Following Cory Monteith’s death, Michele was among millions across the world, including fellow Hollywood A-listers, who paid him tribute. She has kept him close to her heart ever since, reliving their love story and memories they created together every year on his death anniversary.
While the songstress has since moved on with her life, marrying long-time friend Zandy Reich in 2019, Monteith remains etched in her heart.
Almost a decade later, Cory Monteith’s legacy lives on in the hearts of his family, close companions, his fans, numerous movies, and songs.
He also remains immortalized in his beautiful shared memories with Michele, her tattoos of him, and in songs dedicated to the actor including Taylor Swift’s track “Mine” reportedly inspired by their rumored short-lived romance.
