Glee’s Offscreen Tragedies Through the Years: Cory Monteith, Mark Salling and Naya Rivera

Credit: Carin Baer/FOX

Glee’s Offscreen Tragedies Through the Years: Cory Monteith, Mark Salling and Naya Rivera

During its six-season run, Glee was considered one of the most uplifting shows on television. However, away from the camera, its cast has faced a number of tragedies through the years. After the musical dramedy premiered on Fox in May 2009, viewers instantly fell in love with Cory Monteith, a then-little-known actor from Canada who starred as William McKinley High School quarterback and glee club newcomer Finn Hudson. Monteith once described his character as a “stereotypical dumb jock,” but over time, fans began to see a softer side of him. As the seasons went on, Monteith became a massive star, winning a SAG Award and a Teen Choice Award, but he battled personal demons along the way. He entered a rehab facility in March 2013 for substance abuse, something he had battled since the age of 13. As a result, Finn was written out of the final episodes of season 4 as he completed treatment. That July, Monteith was found dead at the age of 31 from an accidental overdose in his hotel room in Vancouver, Canada. [jwplayer 6HgC8LrJ] Tragedy struck again in December 2015 when Mark Salling, who played Finn’s teammate Noah “Puck” Puckerman, was arrested for possession of child pornography. He was charged the following May and pleaded guilty in September 2017. Salling was set to be sentenced in March 2018 and agreed to serve four to seven years in jail in addition to registering as a sex offender. However, he was reported missing in January 2018 and found dead at age 35 six hours later in a suicide by hanging. Glee fans’ hearts shattered once more in July 2020 after news broke that Naya Rivera, who starred as Santana Lopez, went missing during a boat ride with her son, Josey. Her rented vessel was found adrift at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, with the 4-year-old asleep on it and alone. Five days after her disappearance, authorities recovered her body in the lake and she was declared dead. Scroll down for more details on Glee’s headline-making tragedies.

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Cory Monteith’s Death

The coroner’s report for the late actor, who sought treatment at the age of 19 before returning in 2013, stated that he died from mixed drug toxicity. He had heroin, alcohol, codeine and morphine in his system at the time of his death. The report concluded that Monteith had attempted to stay off drugs after his final rehab stay, which lowered his tolerance and ultimately killed him. The third episode of Glee’s fifth season, titled “The Quarterback,” paid tribute to him and his character. Monteith was in a relationship with his costar and onscreen girlfriend, Lea Michele, when he died.

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Mark Salling’s Legal Case and Death

While awaiting sentencing in his child porn case, Salling was found dead near a riverbed in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles. The troubled actor’s death certificate listed the cause as asphyxia by hanging, while autopsy results revealed that he had alcohol in his system.

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Naya Rivera’s Disappearance

Authorities began searching for Rivera at Lake Piru after she failed to return the motorized pontoon boat that she had rented hours earlier for her and her son. The sheriff’s department said the duo went swimming but only Josey made it back onto the vessel afterward. The child was wearing a life vest, while Rivera’s safety jacket was found on the boat, indicating that she did not have it on. Five days after the actress disappeared, a body was found at the lake. The identity was not immediately announced, but authorities later confirmed that Rivera had died. At the time, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department said that there was no sign of foul play or suicide.