Cory Monteith's former roommate shared his heartbreak nearly a decade since the actor-musician died.
Ahead of the premiere of the docuseries "The Price of Glee," Monteith's friend and former roommate Justin Neill sat for an exclusive interview with People and reflected on the late star's passing. According to him, the loss remains something difficult to bear, although years have already passed.
Neill met Monteith, whom he called a "great friend" who changed his life, met before the actor reached his stardom. He said "Glee" changed the actor's life forever when it premiered in 2009.
"Cory was extremely grateful for the show and there was a level of gratitude all the time," he said. "He had this mentality like, 'I should be working on roofs in [his native] Canada in the snow, this wasn't supposed to happen!' But being human, he did have days where he was exhausted."
The former roommate added how Monteith needed alone time during those times.
Far from his "Glee" character Finn Hudson, Neill said Monteith was a goofball and one of the smartest people he knew. Despite that, the musician's battle restarted, leading him to enter rehab in April 2013.
Neill recalled the time Monteith was sober and shared how he never saw him messed up. When Monteith returned from rehab, he reportedly felt grateful to see him back.
But a few months after his discharge, the actor died. For Neill, it proved how having everything is not enough to make people happy.
Although nearly a decade has passed, Neill revealed he keeps his friend's spirit alive by still talking to him all the time.
Cory Monteith's Death
The musician died was found dead in a Vancouver, British Columbia, hotel room on July 13, 2013.
The Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel staff members found his body after missing his checkout time. According to Chief Constable Doug LePard, Monteith had several people invited to his room at one point. But in the surveillance video where he was last seen, he returned to his room by himself.
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The initial ruling said the then-31-year-old star died after an accident. The findings eventually concluded that he "died of mixed drug toxicity, involving intravenous heroin use combined with the ingestion of alcohol."
Monteith had been open about his struggles with substance abuse. He confirmed in 2011 that he started using drugs when he was 13 and checked into rehab at 19 when his mother and friends "saved him."
