Five days after Cory Monteith's death, tributes continue to pour in from the 31-year-old actor's costars and friends. The latest remembrances come from Glee cast members Amber Riley and Dot-Marie Jones, who play Mercedes and Coach Beiste, respectively.
"Yesterday I got to sit with my Glee family and remember a man I considered a brother and a friend," Riley, 27, tweeted on Thursday, July 18. "With a very heavy heart, RIP Cory Monteith. Continued prayer for his family and Lea. Sending hugs to all you Gleeks."
Jones, meanwhile, fought back tears while speaking to Entertainment Tonight about her Emmy nomination for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. "I loved him and I still do," she said of Monteith. "That will never go away. I don't have [one] fond memory because every memory is fantastic."
Jones noted that Monteith was an absolute professional on set and never let his private struggles interfere with work. "I honestly didn't know," she told ET. "This year I worked a lot with Cory one-on-one, and Cory was present…[His death is a loss] for everyone involved."
Jane Lynch shared a similar sentiment one night earlier, during her appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. "Cory had one of the biggest hearts," she said of Monteith, who was found dead of mixed drug toxicity involving heroin and alcohol on Saturday, July 13.
"He was one of those guys who was always aware that [the show] was a gift. He was quite generous, and one of those adventurous types of people who would — he'd fly to Mexico, he'd throw parties for his friends," she continued. "I don't think he left one day unlived. He was a real bright light in our family. We've lost a really great guy."