FOXIn the wake of the devastating passing of Cory Monteith, his Glee costars join the millions of fans who are still in mourning.
On Monday, actress Charice wrote an open letter to her Glee friend reflecting on how Monteith's sweet and compassionate personality made him felt like a member of her family. Charice began her guest blog on CNN with a quote describing her relationship with Monteith: "Friendship is not defined by the length of time two people share together. One defining moment is all it takes for two individuals to call each other friends."
Fans know Charice as Sunshine Corazon, a small girl with an extraordinarily big voice who appeared in a handful of episodes in Glee's second season. During her last time on the Glee set, Charice was working into the wee hours of the morning after a long day of shooting.
Charice recalls: "I was a tad emotional when the clock struck 12 midnight—not because I was tired, but because May 10 was my birthday. And I, a girl from the barrio of Gulod in the far-flung Philippines, was alone in America."
That's when the effortlessly "sweet" and "cool" Monteith swooped in to save the day. "Cory came to the rescue, just in time, with his sweet greeting: 'Happy birthday, Charice!'" Charice remembers. "A big smile crossed his handsome face. There was sincerity in his tone as he gave me a tight hug. He became family to me at that moment."
The actress explains that "Cool Cory's act of kindness" caused a ripple effect and soon the entire cast of was showering the Glee newbie with birthday wishes. "I never thanked Cory enough for that one moment in time when he made me feel like family. I never thanked him enough for making me happy on that lonely day," she says.
Charice, like many of us, look at Monteith's passing as "too soon, too early, too young" and acknowledges that her co-star was "a real talent." The 21-year-old singer reveals: "I am confident he's singing with the angels now. I am more than confident that his suave style, his cool attitude about everything will endear him more to his newfound winged friends in the afterlife."
Closing her heartfelt letter, Charice writes: "Thank you, Mr. Cool. My grateful heart will always miss you—especially so on my birthday."