Cory Monteith's father Joe has opened up about his son's passing – one year after the actor tragically died from a drug overdose. The Glee star, who would have been 32 and passed away on 13 July 2013, was estranged from his dad for a large part of their lives, but began to rebuild their relationship a couple of years before his death. "I still miss him very much and I still have the empty feeling," Joe told ET Canada. "Cory was a likeable young man and if he was in the room, you'd be smiling. "He enjoyed life. That's why I was so shocked about the outcome of everything."
Cory Monteith was estranged from his father Joe for most of his life
As Joe was not told the funeral arrangements by his ex-wife Ann McGregor, he was excluded from the burial although "it would have meant a lot [to go]," he said. "I did receive an email from his mother a couple of days ago [and] in the near future she's going to be sending me some of his stuff," Joe added. The past year has proved difficult for Cory's family, friends and co-stars and Glee fans worldwide, but in particular his girlfriend Lea Michele. "She's a beautiful young woman," said Joe of the Louder singer. "She should enjoy life. She had a good time when she was with Cory, from what I understand, but life's gotta go on."
Cory's first death anniversary saw Twitter abuzz with fans paying tribute to the fallen star. The hashtags "#1YearWithoutCory" and "#RipCoryMonteith" started trending, with users commenting on how much they missed the Canadian actor. Lea has slowly but surely started to piece her life back together and in June was reported to be dating aspiring model Matthew Paetz. The pair were spotted cosying up together in a park in Los Angeles, as well as enjoying a hike out in the hills. The 27-year-old actress had to recently deny that she was pregnant after her Twitter account was hacked. "Before this gets out to the media, I would like to announce to my fans that I am pregnant #BabyBoy," read the message. Lea's representative later confirmed that she was not expecting.