Headline News: Cory Monteith’s shock death, investigation on cause begins today
Cory Monteith’s shock death will be investigated today, as an autopsy is scheduled.
Monteith was found dead around noon on Saturday in a hotel in downtown Vancouver, Canada. During a press conference with Canadian police on Saturday night, it was noted that Monteith had been dead for some time before his body was found, but foul play was ruled out. Monteith checked into the hotel on July 6 and was expected to check out on Saturday.
Monteith had been public about his struggle with addiction and checked into a rehabfacility in late March. It was his second time in a treatment facility.
Monteith was the “Glue of Glee” according to his director Adam Shankman. Finn in the popular Fox series, and credited “Glee’s” success with helping him to turn his life around.
The Facebook page RIP Cory Monteith had more than 15,000 likes so far, an indication of how popular the actor was with fans of the show.
The “Glee” staff released a statement via Twitter early Sunday morning, saying, “We are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Cory was an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person.”
Monteith’s on- and off-screen girlfriend Lea Michele, (Rachel Berry on the show), has not yet released a statement.
Hollywood is expressing their sadness of Monteith’s death on Twitter, and there is strong speculation that his death was due to a drug overdose because of his past history as an addict.
Monteith had two rehab stays. Once when he was 19 years old (after an intervention) and the second time he voluntarily admitted himself into a rehab facility just several months ago.
Richard Taite, CEO and founder of Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center (www.cliffsidemalibu.com) and bestselling author of “Ending Addiction For Good” strongly believes that rehab should last longer than the accepted 30 day treatment programs.
“Monteith said he entered a treatment program in April and we are just at the beginning of July, so I was wondering why is he out of treatment already. 30 days doesn’t allow the addict to get to the root of their addiction. Perhaps one of the most critical factors inaddiction recovery is the duration of treatment. We’ve so often heard addicts believe that they are supposed to be better in 28 or 30 days. But this is a model that insurance companies have developed based on what they are willing to pay for, not what is actually in the best interest of an individual’s recovery. It is my hope that others will learn from the premature deaths of those who have not completed treatment – stay at the level of care you require until you are fully able to live comfortably in the outside world.”
Mr. Taite added, “I don’t know if Cory Monteith died from drug addiction or alcoholism but if this death is drug and/or alcohol related, maybe the message should finally be not thatrehab doesn’t work but that rehab doesn’t work unless you finish treatment… And 30 days isn’t finishing treatment for roughly 85% of addicts.”
Further to that, Dr. Damon Raskin, an addiction specialist and Cliffside Malibu medical consultant said this: “I have seen numerous cases where patients have detoxed, and when they relapse they go back to using the same amount of drugs they were doing before their relapse. Because they have lost the tolerance to those high doses they were using previously, they can easily overdose and die.”
He also adds “Although the exact cause of death is still unknown, medically it appears from all circumstances that this was a drug related death. As a child celebrity myself who now treats addiction, I have personally witnessed how hard living in the spotlight can be for younger people. The pressure to perform combined with struggling with addiction appears to have overwhelmed another young star. Industry insiders, media, friends and family need to step and give them time to heal before rushing them back into the spotlight. It must be more about the health of the individual and less about the bottom line or how many tabloids are sold. ”
