FacebookCory Monteith's mother, Ann McGregor, is speaking out publicly for the first time about the death of her son, who she called "baby bear," and who died at age 31 one year ago.
The Canadian actor, who played Finn Hudson on the FOX show Glee, was found dead in a hotel room in Vancouver on July 13, 2013. The cause of the death of Cory, who had battled substance addiction throughout his life, was ruled to be a "mixed drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol." His mother told GMA in an interview that was taped earlier this week and aired on Thursday, July 17, that she last saw him two days before he died.
"Only in the last few days, I'm beginning to accept it," McGregor said. "The loss is horrendous. Until three days ago, I couldn't look at a picture of Cory. So, there's been progress."
"Can you talk about that night, one year ago?" asked interviewer Bianna Golodryga.
"No," McGregor said, becoming emotional.
GMA showed several photos and home videos of Monteith that his mother provided. One of them shows the actor as a child, blow-drying his dog after giving the pet a bath.
McGregor also talked about her son's battle with addiction, recalling how at age 15, he had a "code blue," meaning he required immediate resuscitation. Her ex-husband and the actor's estranged father, Joe Monteith, told People magazine in late 2013 that Cory nearly died after suffering a bad reaction after doing drugs and was revived with a shot to the heart.
"I think that was the turning point," McGregor said. "He had a lot of emotional things. He was trying to figure out ... a lot of it was he really wanted a relationship with his father."
Cory is also survived by an older brother, Shaun.
On July 13, the 1-year anniversary of Cory's death, Glee star Lea Michele, who was his girlfriend, posted on both her Instagram and Twitter pages photos of herself with the actor.
"We hold you in our hearts today, and every day we remember your smile," she said. "We will love you and miss you always."
When asked if she keeps in touch with Michele, McGregor told GMA, "I do," adding that they communicate via email and texts.
"She's hurting too," she said. "I mean, you see the sadness. I know her pain."
Watch Cory's mother's GMA interview, which shows the actor's childhood videos, below.