Cory Monteith Surprised Lea Michele At Photo Shoot Shortly Before His Death

Cory Monteith paid a surprise visit to girlfriend Lea Michele just a few weeks before his death, giving her some support during a Marie Claire Mexico photo shoot that has now produced some haunting images.

The photo shoot shows a stone-faced Michele on the cover in what is one of the last images of her before her boyfriend died. The magazine hits newsstands July 30, featuring the photo spread and an interview with Michele.

Lea Michele tweeted about the June 7 cover shoot, writing: “What an awesome shoot today! Such a pleasure gracing the cover of one of my fav mags! So excited for you guys to see! Xo.”

Within five weeks, Cory Monteith would be dead, the victim of what medical examiners said was a deadly combination of heroin and alcohol.

In her interview for the magazine, Michele spoke about her relationship with her fellow Glee star.

“It’s more interesting having a relationship with someone you work with because we get more attention because we play boyfriend and girlfriend on the show and we are also in real life,” she said. “But he is the best person I know, he has made my life so incredible and I am so thankful for him and not only to have him as a partner but also as a coworker.”

In the days immediately following Monteith’s death, Michele asked for privacy and has remained largely out of the public spotlight. She had been publicly supportive of Monteith earlier this year when he announced he was going to rehab to deal with his substance abuse issues, an absence that caused him to miss the last two episodes of Glee.

Ariadne Grant, the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire Mexico and Latin America, said Lea Michele seemed especially vibrant once Cory Monteith showed up to the photo shoot.

“Lea Michele arrived early with her beauty team and her agent and was always professional, dedicated and her experience was obvious on the photo shoot but showed another side of her personality, softer and more innocent, on the interview when she got all excited with some questions, she said she loved Mexico so much,” she said. “That side was even more evident when Cory showed up almost at the end of the session, she was very happy about him being there.”

Grant said Cory Monteith was also in great spirits on the set and took pictures with any crew members who asked. She said he watched during the entire photo shoot, Coke in hand, and seemed “very nice and obviously happy and in love.”