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Cory Monteith died from an overdose of heroin, alcohol, B.C. coroner says

Cory Monteith died from an overdose of heroin, alcohol, B.C. coroner says

Glee star Cory Monteith died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol, the British Columbia coroner has confirmed.

An autopsy performed on the 31-year-old Calgary native included a toxicology analysis.

The coroners' service says there is no evidence to suggest foul play was involved. Monteith's death has been ruled an accident, but police continue to investigate.

Monteith's body was discovered by staff of the posh Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel on Saturday, July 13, when he failed to check out on schedule.

Monteith, who was born in Calgary and raised in Victoria, was raised by his mother after his parents split up when he was seven. He dropped out of school and knocked around different jobs in B.C. — including working as a Wal-Mart greeter in Nanaimo, B.C. — before drifting into acting in the late 1990s. He snagged guest parts on shows such as Stargate: Atlantis and Smallville before landing his star-making role as Finn Hudson on the musical comedy-drama Glee.

Monteith had reportedly battled drug addiction in his teens and CTV News and other media reported in April that he had a recent stint in a drug rehab centre after a lapse supposedly brought on by the pressures of celebrity.

"He drinks hard and then he can't say no to other things," one source told CTV News back in April. "The house party scene in Los Angeles is dangerous for him. He thought he could dive in and then drop it but he got hooked on stuff again."

He had recently worked on a Canadian film called All the Wrong Reasons, which was expected to be released later this year. He also was an avid supporter of Vancouver's Project Limelight Society, a theatre program for at-risk youth.

Vancouver's acting police chief, Doug LePard said Sunday that Monteith checked into the Fairmont Pacific Rim on July 6 and was due to leave Saturday.

"There were others with Mr. Monteith in his room earlier last night [Friday], but video and fob key entries show him returning to his room by himself in the early morning hours and we believe he was alone when he died," LePard said.

Since Monteith's death, fans around the globe have organized tributes to the fallen star, and have left flowers, stuffed animals and cards outside the Vancouver hotel where he was found.