Canadian actor Cory Monteith who was found dead in a hotel.
AFP/Vancouver
Glee TV series star Cory Monteith was found dead in his hotel room in the western Canadian city of Vancouver on Saturday, local police reported.
No cause of death was given for the 31-year-old actor - known for his role as sensitive jock Finn Hudson in the hit series - but Acting Police Chief Doug LePard said that there appeared to be no foul play.
Shortly after noon Saturday (1900 GMT) police received a call from the local ambulance service “regarding a sudden death in a room” at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in downtown Vancouver, city police said.
“Police attended within minutes of the call and paramedics advised the man in the room was clearly deceased.”
“The deceased has been identified as 31-year-old actor Cory Monteith, who achieved great fame on the popular TV series Glee,” said LePard.
“As was the case in countless homes, I watched Glee regularly with my daughters, and I know there will be shock and sadness in many households with the news of his tragic death.”
The star of the Fox TV musical comedy-drama, who was dating co-star Lea Michele, checked into a rehabilitation centre in April for substance abuse, his publicist said in a statement.
In a June 2011 interview with Parade magazine, the actor spoke openly about past struggles with drugs, including getting drunk and smoking pot by age 13.
By age 16 “I had a serious problem,” he told Parade, and checked into a rehab centre at age 19. However “ I did the stint but then went back to doing exactly what I left off doing,” he said.
“I’m lucky on so many counts-I’m lucky to be alive,” he told Parade.