The death of Cory Monteith has been ruled accidental, according to the final coroner’s report.
In a statement released by the British Columbia Coroners Service , the Glee star’s July 13 death in his room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in downtown Vancouver was confirmed to be a result of mixed drug toxicity, “involving intravenous heroin use combined with the ingestion of alcohol.”
The 31-year-old Monteith, best known for his role as Finn Hudson on Glee , was found deceased on the floor of his hotel room by hotel staff, who had checked the room when the actor had not checked out that morning as scheduled. Investigators at the scene found drug paraphernalia, including a spoon with drug residue and a used hypodermic needle, along with two empty champagne bottles and glasses.
In an accompanying video , Vincent Stancato, Deputy Chief Coroner of the British Columbia Coroners Service, announced that Cory Monteith’s death was declared accidental, as stated in the final coroner’s report signed by coroner Claire Thompson.
The report confirmed that Monteith “had a history of illicit drug use with intermittent periods of rehabilitation and of abstinence from drugs.”
It described the periods of abstinence as ranging from months to years in duration. The report and video further detailed that substance abusers who have abstained from using opioids—the drug classification that includes heroin—for a period of time generally have a lower tolerance for the drug and its effects.
Cory Monteith was recently honored posthumously at the 65th Annual Emmy Awards. Co-star Jane Lynch paid tribute to her friend and fellow actor during the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment. Glee will also pay tribute to Monteith a week from now in the upcoming October 10 episode.
