Glee star Cory Monteith found dead in Canada hotel

FANS and colleagues paid tribute yesterday to Cory Monteith, the star of the hit television show Glee, who has been found dead in a Vancouver hotel.

Glee actor Cory Monteith, pictured in April 2010. Picture: AP

The 31-year-old Canadian actor, who had struggled with addiction, was discovered in his room on Saturday, according to police.

Monteith, who played star quarterback-turned-singer Finn Hudson in the US series about a school singing club, was found by hotel staff at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel after he missed his check-out time.

Deputy Police Chief Doug LePard said there was no indication of foul play and “the cause of death was not immediately apparent”.

“I have no words. My heart is broken,” said Dot-Marie Jones, who plays football coach Shannon Beiste in the TV series in a post on her Twitter account. She called Monteith a “hell of a friend” and an “amazing” man.

Fellow actor Josh Sussman, who plays Jacob in the show, tweeted: “I am so saddened to hear about Cory. He was such a great guy/Super-kind & warm.”

“What an absolutely tragic loss of a very talented young man,” tweeted the actress Zooey Deschanel.

Fox TV, which screens the show in the US, and the producers of Glee, including 20th Century Fox Television, called him an exceptional performer “and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously”.

“We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss,” his representatives at Viewpoint Public Relations in Los Angeles said in a statement.

The Glee fanclub @gleeks wrote: “Our prayers go out to the family and friends of @CoryMonteith. Rest in peace Cory. You were one of a kind.”

British Columbia chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said further tests would be needed to determine how Monteith died.

“We do not have a great deal of information as to cause of death,” she said. “The exact nature of those examinations will depend on investigative findings within the next day or two as information is gathered from medical records and discussions with family take place.”

Mr LePard said Monteith had been out with people earlier and that they are being interviewed.

Video and electronic records from the hotel indicate Monteith returned to his room by himself early on Saturday morning, and he was believed to be alone when he died, Mr LePard said.

Ms Lapointe said that Monteith had been dead for several hours by the time his body was found.

In April, Monteith admitted himself to a treatment facility for “substance addiction” and asked for privacy as he took steps toward recovery, a representative said at the time.

Monteith starred in Glee as a high school football player who puts his status and popularity at risk to join the Glee club and its outcast members.

The show, with its pop music-based song-and-dance numbers and high-profile guest stars, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, became an immediate hit both in the US and in the UK, and reportedly prompted renewed interest in singing clubs and choirs across the country.

Channel 4 aired the first two seasons of Glee in the UK, before Sky 1 outbid the broadcaster for the rights for subsequent seasons.