Lea Michele Pays Touching Tribute To Ex-boyfriend Cory Monteith On His 10th Death Anniversary

Lea Michele is remembering her late boyfriend Cory Monteith on the 10th anniversary of his tragic death. Michele and Monteith dated both on the show and in real life and were together when he died from an overdose. 

Her tribute post featured a sweet message and a throwback photo of them cuddling happily.

Michele has paid tribute to Monteith on Instagram every year on the anniversary of his death. In 2016, she revealed she got a tattoo of Monteith's character's football jersey number. 

Keep on reading to learn more.

Lea Michele is celebrating her ex-boyfriend and former "Glee" co-star on the 10th anniversary of his tragic death. Michele posted an emotional tribute to Monteith on Instagram, writing that "it only feels like yesterday" since his passing. The former couple also dated on the show and were still together when he died from an overdose of alcohol and heroin.

In the tribute, she 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. 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."

Michele's tribute post included a throwback black-and-white photo of her cuddling with Monteith happily. In her message, the Broadway actress also seemingly referenced Taylor Hawkins, the famous Foo Fighters drummer. Hawkins died in 2022 from a cardiovascular collapse, seemingly exacerbated by a cocktail of drugs.

Michele concluded her tribute by adding, "I hope you found Taylor up there and are playing the drums together." 

Michele has paid tribute to Monteith on social media every year since his tragic death. Shortly after he died in 2013, the "Scream Queens" actress spoke to Teen Vogue about how she was dealing with the loss.

She said, "I somehow feel the insane love Cory and I had for each other morphed into this strength that I have right now. There's just something about knowing he's watching everything I'm doing and feeling like I have to do everything now not just for me but for him."

The actress shared that she was thankful that she has a "safety net" in the form of her family and friends. Michele added, "If I fall or if it's too much, my friends and family will be there to catch me."

In 2016, Michele revealed to the world that she'd gotten a tattoo dedicated to Monteith's memory. The tattoo was a drawing of the "Monte Carlo" actor's football jersey number from the show. She wrote, "For my Quarterback … #5," and added a heart emoji, per People magazine.

About three years later, the Broadway actress revealed she'd gotten another tattoo in Monteith's honor. This time, the tattoo on her upper thigh simply read "Finn." Michele herself has done really well in her personal and professional life since the show ended. She's currently married to businessman Zandy Reich, and they have a two-year-old son named Ever.

In her professional career, Michele has made a name for herself in the Broadway scene. The actress is currently playing the role of Fanny Brice in the revival of "Funny Girl." The musical was first opened in 1964 and starred the iconic Barbra Streisand.

The popular musical-comedy series has been plagued with several shocking deaths and controversies since it ended. 

Besides the passing of Monteith, two other cast members from the tv series also died tragically. Actress Naya Rivera who played Santana Lopez, died after drowning in California's Lake Piru.

The actress was initially reported missing but was eventually confirmed dead after her body was recovered from the river following days of searching. Her death was ruled an accident after an investigation revealed that Rivera wore herself out while trying to rescue her son.

Another star of the show, Mark Salling, who played Noah Puckerman, passed away by suicide. Salling's death came after he was charged with possession of child sexual abuse materials which he pleaded guilty to in 2017.

He eventually took his own life in January 2018, before his sentencing hearing which was meant to hold in March of that year.