While on the final flight of his life to Vancouver, where he was tragically found dead in his hotel room, "Glee" star did something special for a fan, leaving a "final message" for them on video, USA Today reports.
"Stay out of trouble. And stay in school," he said in the brief video, which "Good Morning America" reports as his "final message." The show also reported that Monteith was good friends with acting teacher Andrew McIlroy, who is currently grieving the loss of the talented singer and actor.
"I don't want him to be a past tense," McIlroy told "Good Morning America" in an emotional interview, indicating that he had no inclination that Monteith was struggling with addiction. "I never walked away from Cory saying, 'Oh my God, I hope you're OK.'"
Monteith suffered from his addictions to drugs and alcohol, and Vancouver officials recently explained to FOX News that the 31-year old had died of a "mixed drugs toxicity" that included alcohol and heroin, calling his death a "tragic accident."
"Our belief is that when he took the heroin he was alone," Vancouver Police Department spokesman Brian Montague told FOX. "There was evidence in the room that was consistent with a drug overdose. We're not providing exactly what we found at the scene."
Yesterday, Monteith's mother held a private viewing of his body at the hospital, attended by his brother, Shaun and girlfriend and "Glee" co-star, Lea Michele, who is currently asking for privacy during this difficult time.
Fellow "Glee" stars are also in mourning, including Darren Criss, who wore a black ribbon of remembrance for his friend at the premiere for his new movie, "Girls Most Likely." And Diana Argon, who has never lost a friend to death before, said that Monteith was "one of the most generous and kind people" she had ever encountered.
"I have never lost a friend. In this difficult time, I am leaning on all of the wonderful memories we shared with Cory, how many ways he was able to make us smile. Glee was a gift to all of us. It gave us a family in this industry. We really cut our teeth and grew up on this show," the star said in a statement.
"In playing underdogs, we learned that we had dug into the hearts of our viewers and that we could stay there. Cory is so deserving of that place in everyone's hearts. He was one of the most generous and kind people that I have ever met. He had a smart, curious mind, he was an enormous talent. He was loving to not only me, but my family. My heart goes out to his family, to Lea [Michele], to everyone that is struggling with the loss of our friend."
