A year after Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose, the “Glee” star’s mother is finally speaking out.
“The loss is horrendous. Until three days ago I couldn’t look at a picture of Cory … So there’s been progress,” Ann McGregor said in an interview with “Good Morning America” that aired Thursday.
The troubled actor, who was 31 at the time of his death, was found dead in a hotel room in his hometown of Vancouver on July 13, 2013. Investigators found a spoon with drug residue and a used hypodermic needle at the scene, according to the British Columbia Coroners Service. Monteith had long struggled with drugs and alcohol and checked himself into a treatment facility for substance addiction two months before his death.
“[When] Cory was 15, he did a code blue [the hospital code for when a patient requires resuscitation], and I think that was the turning point,” his mother said. “He had a lot of emotional things he was trying to figure out — lot of it was he really wanted a relationship with his father.”
Monteith’s father, Joe Monteith, who’s no longer married to McGregor, was not invited to his funeral, reports Us Weekly.
Unfortunately, those close to the actor, including girlfriend Lea Michele, whom McGregor is still in contact with, weren’t able to help Monteith with his addiction.
“I don’t think we have power to change the choices they’re making,” she said. “I think with the kind of connection Cory and I had, if we couldn’t prevent that situation, I don’t have the answer.”
Last October, the cast and crew of “Glee” said goodbye to Monteith in a special episode of the Fox musical dramedy.