Late Glee star Cory Monteith's friend claims he 'had a stalker' and 'hated fame'

27 January 2023 , 12:27

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Late Glee star Cory Monteith's friend claims he 'had a stalker' and 'hated fame'

Glee star Cory Monteith's close friend claims the late actor "hated fame" and "had a stalker" before he was tragically found dead in a hotel room back in 2013.

The Finn Hudson actor's lifeless body was discovered in his room at Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver on July 13 of that year and his death shocked fans worldwide.

At the time, police said the then 31-year-old had been out with pals the night before and that staff had found his body after Cory failed to check out of his room - later reports found he had taken a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol.

Now his former roommate reveals in a new documentary that he had faced struggles around Glee's fast success and its 'intense filming schedule'.

Cory was tragically found dead in 2013 (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)

In a brand-new three-part documentary, The Price Of Glee, Justin Neill claims that Cory eventually despised his fame and was forced to ramp up security at his home.

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Justin explains: "He started telling me, 'It’s really hard to figure out how to be famous'. I was like, 'what do you mean?' He was like, 'I don’t know who to trust anymore'."

He admits Cory’s profile began gaining him unwanted attention. "At one point we had to put in extra security cameras because he had a stalker, a young girl who was just always following him," he said.

In the end, the attention forced Cory to move out of his Culver City home with Justin, who said: "I was super emotional, just because I felt like we bonded and, you know, we were like family."

Cory played Finn Hudson in the hit show (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)

His death sent shockwaves through fans (Fox Broadcasting Company)

Detailing Cory's struggles, Justin said: "There was a period where Cory seemed like he was just getting more and more isolating. He got to the point where he just hated fame.

"I remember him specifically saying 'I wouldn’t wish fame on my worst enemy', That was like, whoa. I’d seen the fame, but I didn’t realise how hard it was for him until then."

Kyle Burch, Glee star Chris Colfer’s stand-in, also speaks in the documentary, streaming now on Discovery+, discussing his experience on-set.

Justin Niell details his pal's struggles (© 2022, Discovery, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

He said: "Cory wasn’t always coming to set prepared. Cory’s stand-in would have to rehearse the whole scene and do all of it, because he wasn’t there."

Justin remembers the moment he found out that Cory had died, he says: "It was like nine in the evening. His close friend up in Canada, she texted me and said 'Can you talk?'.

"And she was whispering, but I mean she was obviously crying. She was like, ‘He’s gone.’ And I’m like, 'What?'.

Kyle Burch talks about life on-set (© 2022, Discovery, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

"For me, it was like losing a family member. Then on top of that, every single person you’ve ever known wants to know what happened."

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The Price Of Glee is available to stream now in the UK exclusively on discovery+

Harry Rutter