Cory Monteith's mother reveals it was Lea Michele who broke news of Glee actor's death to her
It's been a very painful five years for Cory Monteith's mother since her son died of a heroin overdose in 2013, and now, Ann McGregor has revealed in an interview how she can still recall the moment she heard the news.
"I still can't pick up the pieces," McGregor told People. "My world totally stopped. And I'm a different person than I was before."
“I got a call from Lea [Michele, Monteith’s girlfriend of over a year at the time of his death] and she was screaming on the phone,” McGregor said while talking to the publication. “She was yelling, ‘Is it true, is it true about Cory?’ and I said, ‘What about Cory?’ I had heard nothing. And then police knocked on my front door.” When she heard the news, “I went into a state of numbness,” McGregor recalled. “I just shut off all emotions, and I was numb.”
The late 'Glee' actor's mother revealed that as the days and weeks passed by, “I knew it was real, but there were times when I could lie to myself and say, ‘He’s in L.A., he’ll call me soon.’ I’m still always hanging on the edge. When you lose someone who is such a big part of you, you lose all purpose for living.”
Monteith had a history of drug abuse, something he had gone to rehab three times to get rid of, and it was this problem that left him dead at 31; when his body was found in Vancouver hotel room it had traces of morphine, codeine, and heroin present in it.
However, sometime before his death, it was reported that Monteith had been making plans for the future, and had even rented an apartment in Vancouver to move into once his contract with 'Glee' was up. Moreover, he had started speaking to his mother about starting a family.
“Cory wanted a wife and kids,” said McGregor. “He would have made a beautiful father. He had accomplished so much. He was ready to step out of Hollywood and really live. He had so much to look forward to.”
Further through the interview, McGregor revealed that she hasn't forgotten his personal battles with drugs and alcohol, which began when he was 13. "He tried to keep everything from me because he loved me and wanted to protect me," she said. "He was just always so curious. And the darker world just drew him in."
"He wasn't ready for the Hollywood world," she said. "Drugs were his way of checking out... He had a lot of medication in his system, which was not good for his body coming out of rehab. He didn't have enough drugs in his system to kill him, but for some reason, it did because of his intolerance."
Currently, she is focused on the keeping Monteith’s passions aside from his acting career alive, including his work with Project Limelight, a non-profit, free performing arts program for youths, and St. James Music Academy, which provides classical music education for at-risk children.
“Cory didn’t want to die,” McGregor says. “There is no doubt about that. But he’s carried in people’s hearts forever.”
And while time has gone by at a snail's pace for McGregor, Michele has found her way towards love after the tragic incident. The 'Glee' actress is now engaged to her boyfriend-turned-fiance Zandy Reich. The actress confirmed her engagement with a picture of her ring in an Instagram post, and her ring looks absolutely stunning.
In the adorable Instagram picture, the actress seems to be at a beach and has her left hand covering her face, showcasing the huge rock on her ring finger. She captioned the image with a simple “Yes,” along with a ring emoji.
As reported earlier, Reich, who is the president of clothing company AYR, and Michele have been dating for about a year now.
And according to Us Weekly, Reich took the traditional road and asked Michele's parents for her hand in marriage before proposing her with the mighty 4-carat sparkler designed by Leor Yerushalmi and the Jewelers of Las Vegas.
“They’ve known each other for a while,” a source told Us Weekly when the couple was first spotted hand in hand. “They met a few years ago and she’s a fan of the clothing line.” “The couple couldn’t be happier,” a second source adds.
The duo has been going really strong, and Michele took the chance to gush over her lover in a sweet Instagram post on her birthday. "Last year, in this same spot, on this same day, you told me 30 was going to be the best year of my life.. it was,” she captioned a photo of them looking at the ocean. “So much to be grateful for, but mostly you.. got a feeling 31 is going to be even better… u Z.”