Cory Monteith’s Final Meeting With Ryan Murphy To Play Out In REELZ Series About His Life And Death

“Glee” fans were left in shock in July 2013 when news broke that Cory Monteith — who battled addiction throughout much of his adult life — had died. Little was made public about his final night other than the fact that he had been in Vancouver, Canada, and apparently had several visitors in his hotel room the night before.

More than three years after the actor’s death, REELZ intends to revisit the real-life tragedy in a special called “Autopsy: The Last Hours of Cory Monteith.” The show will take a look at the weeks leading up to Monteith’s death. A preview for “Autopsy” teases a reenactment of one particularly poignant moment between the “Glee” star and creator Ryan Murphy.

The incident in question took place in March 28, 2013, according to Us Weekly. Viewers will get a look inside a meeting between the two, which was called to discuss Murphy’s concerns that Monteith may have been using again. In previews for “Autopsy,” Monteith appears nervous as he enters the sit-down, which took place at Fox Studios in Los Angeles. A voiceover recounts claims from several sources that Murphy’s concerns stemmed from several late appearances on set and testimony from other “Glee” stars that Monteith smelled of alcohol and more.

“It’s not only his drinking that Murphy is concerned about; it’s his suspicion that Cory is taking drugs,” James Desborough says in the teaser. “To Cory’s dismay, Murphy tells him he’s pulling him off the show, despite there being two episodes left to film.”

As is evident from his concern about Monteith’s sobriety prior to his death, Murphy and the actor grew close over the years. In September, Murphy opened up about his last meeting with Monteith, telling Entertainment Weekly that his death felt “like losing a child.” He recalled the final conversation he had with the Canadian born actor, during which he thanked him for helping him clean up his act.

“We hugged, and the last thing he said was ‘I love you, man, and thank you for helping me get better,’” Murphy told EW. “And then the next thing I knew he was dead. It was like losing a child.”

Although Monteith’s cause of death was related to both alcohol and substance abuse, the actor was said to have been getting help for his addiction problems. In April 2013, Us reported that he had made the decision to enter rehab, missing the final two episodes of “Glee” Season 4. He died at age 31 before beginning production on Season 5.

Monteith was found dead inside his Vancouver hotel on July 13, 2013. According to CNN, his cause of death was not apparent to authorities when his body was found. Hotel staff discovered the body after he missed his checkout time. Monteith is said to have had a number of people inside the hotel the night before he died, though foul play was not suspected. Hotel surveillance videos showed the actor returning to his hotel room early in the morning on more than one occasion. His cause of death was ultimately due to drug toxicity caused by mixing heroin and alcohol.