When Cory Monteith passed away from an accidental overdose in July 2013, fans, friends and colleagues mourned the loss of one of Hollywood’s most kind, hard-working and brilliant talents. Among those who knew the late actor personally is Glee creator, Ryan Murphy. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Murphy compares the unfathomable loss to that of “losing a child.”
The last time the two spoke, Murphy says, was when Monteith visited the set of HBO’s The Normal Heart. What he was left with is a now haunting exchange, wherein Monteith thanked Murphy for helping him to overcome his addictions. “We hugged, and the last thing he said was ‘I love you, man, and thank you for helping me get better.’ And then the next thing I knew he was dead,” Murphy says.
Unfortunately, with Monteith gone and fans of the show in mourning, it wasn’t long before Glee was in its final season. “What started off as being such a great celebration of love and acceptance ultimately became about darkness and death,” Murphy says.
As for how Murphy remembers the successful show, he claims that it was “the best time in my life and the worst time in my life.” According to him, there was “a lot of infighting and a lot of people sleeping together and breaking up.”
It’s the relationships, however, that we as fans are grateful for. Monteith may have passed away, but his gleeks will never allow his legacy to be forgotten.