How Lea Michele Is Honoring Cory Monteith's "Light" 10 Years After His Tragic Death

Lea Michele is honoring her late love.

On the 10^th anniversary of Cory Monteith's death, his Glee co-star and former girlfriend shared an emotional message reflecting on the decade without him.

"Hey you. 10 years," Lea began her July 13 post. "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."

The Funny Girl star, who shared a black and white photo of her and Cory in which he's smiling into the camera while she has her arms around him, concluded her message by sharing her hopes for him.

"I miss you big guy," Lea finished her post. "I hope you found Taylor up there and are playing the drums together." While the 36-year-old didn't elaborate on who she was referring to, many fans speculated in the comments that Lea is referring to Taylor Hawkins, the former drummer for the Foo Fighters who died in March 2022. 

Cory tragically died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 31, shortly after Glee's fourth season aired. He and Lea had been dating for over a year at the time of his passing. Months after his death, the series paid tribute to him and his fan-favorite character Finn Hudson, including a moving tribute episode dedicated to the late actor and character titled "The Quarterback."

However, years later Glee creator Ryan Murphy opened up about how, looking back, he might have handled Cory's death differently.

In terms of filming "The Quarterback," Ryan admitted it was "way too raw and way too soon" while a guest on Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz's podcast And That's What You REALLY Missed in November. He added that if he the tragedy had happened today, it probably would have meant the end of the hit Fox show, which continued for two seasons after Cory's death.

"If I had to do it again, we would've stopped for a very long time and probably not come back," he explained. "Now, if this had happened, I would be like, 'That's the end.' Because you can't really recover from something like that."

Lea has also spoken about the emotional process of filming "The Quarterback." 

The Scream Queens actress, who sang Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" in the episode, shared that Ryan allowed her to pick which song she wanted to honor Cory with. "I'm grateful that [Ryan] asked me," she said during a performance in July 2022. "Because it needed to be something that felt real for me."

But while she said that filming the episode was therapeutic in a way, she also admitted that she's never watched the final product. 

"It's the only one I've not seen," she explained. "Because I think if I don't watch it, it just kind of feels like Finn is still there."

To look back at Cory's life in photos, keep reading. 

Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead on July 13, 2023 in Vancouver. The actor leaves behind countless fans who celebrated both his acting and music career.

The actor plays with his band Bonnie Dune in Vancouver in 2011.

He attends the 2010 Golden Globes.

Monteith and girlfriend Lea Michele sneak in a kiss as the 2012 NHL playoffs.

Darren Criss, Chord Overstreet and Monteith stick together at 2013 Paleyfest in Beverly Hills.

The actor shines at the premiere of Glee The 3D Concert Movie in Los Angeles.

Monteith's Finn and his fellow Gleeks say farewell to Michele's Rachel as she heads to New York City in the 2012 episode "Goodbye."

The couple share a giggle at the premiere of American Horror Story: Asylum in Hollywood.

They cheer on the Vancouver Canucks as they take on the San Jose Sharks during the 2013 NHL Playoffs.

Monteith and Michele enjoy the Do Something Awards in 2012.

The couple share a smile as they arrive at the 2013 Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Los Angeles.

Monteith and Michele take the stage in the series premiere of Glee.