Lea Michele is honoring the late Cory Monteith on the 10th anniversary of his passing. The former “Glee” star took to Instagram to share a selfie of them together and wrote, “Hey you. 10 years. It feels like only yesterday that you were here and yet a million years ago all at the same time.”
She continued, “I hold all of our memories in my heart where they will stay safe and never forgotten. We miss you every day and will never forget the light you to brought to us all. I miss you big guy.” She added, “I hope you found Taylor up there and are playing the drums together,” referencing the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins last year. Monteith was an avid drummer.
Monteith and Michele met on the set of “Glee,” which premiered in 2009. Monteith’s Finn was the lovable high school quarterback turned show-choir star Finn, while Michele played theater geek Rachel. Their characters eventually became love interests, and fans learned in 2012 that they had begun dating in real life. They stayed together until Monteith died in 2013 from an accidental overdose. He was 31.
Michele has two tattoos in Monteith’s honor: the name “Finn” for his character and the number 5, which Finn wore on the football team at the fictional William McKinley High, per People.
In 2019, Michele married husband Zandy Reich, and in 2020, they welcomed son Ever Leo Reich. Michele is currently wrapping up her run in “Funny Girl” on Broadway.
On “Glee,” the show addressed Monteith’s death in the season five episode “The Quarterback,” in which viewers learned Finn had died. It included tribute performances of songs including “No Surrender” by Bruce Springsteen, “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry, and Michele’s rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” During her 2022 live tour, Michele reflected on why she picked that song for Monteith at the time. “How can I pick a song that says everything, you know?” she reflected, per the Daily Mail. But when she heard “Make You Feel My Love,” she instantly knew it was the right choice.
Filming was tough, she said, explaining, “I would film it and then run off and then I would come back. It was wild and hard, but we healed together and this song helped.” However, “The Quarterback” is the only episode of “Glee” she never watched.
