July 13 we learned the devastating news of Cory Monteith’s death. The official cause of death is unknown at this time but many are speculating he died of a drug overdose. An autopsy will be performed on July 15. Cory’s fans and his girlfriend Lea Michele are devastated by his death, but surely the people hurting the most are Cory’s family.
Cory seemed to have a close relationship with his family. His mom is Ann McGregor, an interior designer. His dad, Joe Monteith, is in the military. Cory also has an older brother, Shaun. Cory started getting in trouble after his parent’s divorce when he was 7. He said he felt like an outsider (probably referring to moving away from his hometown with his mom and brother). However, his family did not give up on him.
Last year Ann talked to the Victoria Times Colonist about her son’s troubled years as a child and teenager. She told the paper “Our relationship is much more powerful than I ever imagined it would be, having gone through the tough years.” Cory, feeling like an outsider, began getting in trouble and developed a substance abuse problem. His mom organized an intervention when he was 19 years old. Cory did not get sober until another family member confronted him.
Cory told Parade in 2011 “I stole a significant amount of money from a family member. I knew I was going to get caught, but I was so desperate I didn’t care. It was a cry for help. I was confronted and I said, ‘Yeah, it was me.’ It was the first honorable, truthful thing that had come out of my mouth in years. I was done fighting myself. I finally said, ‘I’m gonna start looking at my life and figure out why I’m doing this.”
Ann last saw her son in June when he visited Victoria, British Columbia. I can’t begin to imagine her heartbreak, knowing she will never see Cory again. She and other family members helped save Cory’s life when he was younger, but in the end he left them. Ann may be wondering if she could have done more to keep Cory sober. She may be replaying the events of his childhood in her head, wondering where she went wrong raising him. She is probably feeling survivor’s guilt as well. I’m sure Ann is also feeling anger at her son for dying.
Cory was at a high point in his career and also fresh out of one of his many failed stints of rehab. He seemed to be happy and well from the outside. Cory’s Facebook page is filled with positive wall posts, congratulating fans on winning contests and even posting video of himself calling a fan. TMZ posted a photo of Cory and Lea from June at Los Angeles International Airport smiling and looking happy together. Maybe Cory had us fooled. Perhaps he was miserable but put up a front for his fans and loved ones. We will have to wait for the autopsy report to determine if he relapsed again or if something other than drug abuse killed him.