Glee star Cory Monteith’s mother Ann McGregor has died just weeks after the late actor’s estranged father, Joe Monteith.
McGregor died peacefully on 18 June, aged 74, her obituary states, after being treated for an illness at St Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, Canada.
Monteith’s father died on 12 May, aged 75 after receiving care at a palliative care unit in Oromocto, Canada, prior to his death last month.
The coincidental passing of both of Monteith’s parents comes after the actor’s untimely death in 2013. The actor, known for playing Finn Hudson on the musical comedy series Glee, died aged 31 from an overdose of heroin and alcohol.
The hit musical comedy series was in the middle of production of its fifth season when Monteith died unexpectedly. The season’s third episode, titled “The Quarterback”, served as a tribute to both the actor and his character, who also died in the show.
After a three-month hiatus, Glee returned and completed season five, with a sixth and final season wrapping up in 2015.
Monteith was extremely close with his mother, who told People in 2018 after losing her son: “I still can’t pick up the pieces. “My world totally stopped. And I’m a different person than I was before.”
She continued: “We used to go everywhere together. We had a favorite restaurant where we’d share fish and chips. Even at 3 years old, he would stand at the counter and pay the bill. He could talk to anyone. He just had a way about him, and all I could do was enjoy it.”
The actor was estranged from his father but revealed they had briefly reunited in 2009, the same year that he began his role in Glee as Finn Hudson: “We’d spoken maybe three of four times [during the period] and he reached out to me on Facebook. I couldn’t shut the door, so I got on a plane. He greeted me at the airport…it was a good time,” he told Parade magazine in 2011.
If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.
In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.
