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| A pedestrian walks past photographs and flowers placed at a memorial for Canadian actor Cory Monteith outside the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, July 15, 2013. Monteith, 31, was found dead in his room at the hotel on Saturday, according to police, who have ruled out foul play. |
VANCOUVER,
British Columbia (AP) -- "Glee" actor Cory Monteith, who had
struggled for years with substance abuse and once said he was lucky to
be alive, died of an overdose of heroin and alcohol, the British
Columbia coroner's office said Tuesday.
"There
is no evidence to suggest Mr. Monteith's death was anything other than a
most tragic accident," the office said in a statement.
The
31-year-old was found dead in his Vancouver, British Columbia, hotel
room on Saturday after he didn't check out on time. He was believed to
be alone when he died. Hotel video and electronic records indicate he
returned to his room by himself early Saturday.
At
a briefing Tuesday afternoon, police said they believe Monteith had
been dead for several hours before he was found. They said the coroner's
report didn't indicate the levels of heroin or alcohol in his system.
They ruled out foul play.
"Our belief is that
when he took the heroin he was alone," said Vancouver Police Department
spokesman Brian Montague. He added: "There was evidence in the room that
was consistent with a drug overdose.
We're not providing exactly what
we found at the scene."
Police said it was too
early for the coroner's office to conclude whether Monteith was the
victim of a bad batch of heroin, which turns up from time to time in
Vancouver.
Monteith's death recalled the lives
of Heath Ledger, Corey Haim and River Phoenix - actors who battled
substance abuse and died in their 20s and 30s.
Monteith
had talked bluntly about struggling with addiction since he was a
teenager, calling it a serious problem and telling Parade magazine in
2011 he was "lucky to be alive."
In that
interview, he said he was using marijuana and drinking by age 13, and
his drug use was "out of control" by the time he was 16. "Anything and
everything, as much as possible," he said. "I had a serious problem."
Monteith
admitted himself to a treatment facility in April for substance
addiction, a representative said at the time. He also received treatment
when he was 19. He told Parade that his mother and friends had staged
an intervention back then, afraid he "could die." However, he said, "I
did the stint but then went back to doing exactly what I left off
doing."
Typically, the younger a person gets
hooked on drugs or alcohol, the higher the risk of relapse. It's also
more challenging for people addicted to multiple substances.
"When
an addicted person re-enters their environment, they have a lot to
negotiate" such as finding a sober network of friends and not giving in
to cravings, said addiction expert Dr. Karen Miotto at the University of
California, Los Angeles. Such pressures can cause a person to relapse.
Gia
Milani, who recently produced and directed a Canadian film featuring
Monteith, this week said he "seemed healthy" when she last saw him four
weeks ago in Los Angeles.
"He looked super fit
and he was energetic and excited," Milani said. She said Monteith
showed no signs of a substance abuse problem while shooting the film a
year ago.
"Glee," with its catchy
song-and-dance numbers and high-profile guest stars like Gwyneth Paltrow
and Britney Spears, became an instant hit when it debuted in 2009.
Monteith served as the show's resident hunk with a heart of gold. The
show's producers have called him an exceptional performer "and an even
more exceptional person."
The publicist for
Monteith's girlfriend and "Glee" co-star, Lea Michele, released a
statement Tuesday. "Since Cory's passing, Lea has been grieving
alongside his family and making appropriate arrangements with them," it
said. "They are supporting each other as they endure this profound loss
together." The statement was first reported by People magazine.
