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Glee stars pay tribute on Twitter

Vancouver -  Cory Monteith, the heartthrob actor who became an overnight star as a high school quarterback-turned-singer in the hit TV series Glee but had battled addiction since his teenage years, was found dead of undisclosed causes in a hotel room, Vancouver police said.

Police said Sunday that an autopsy is expected to take place Monday to determine the cause of death.

Monteith's body was found by hotel staff who entered his room after he missed his check-out time, LePard said. Monteith had checked into the hotel on July 6.

Several Glee cast members took to Twitter to express their feelings.

"I have no words! My heart is broken," Dot-Marie Jones, who plays football coach Shannon Beiste, said in a post on her Twitter account Saturday night. She called Monteith a "hell of a friend" and an "amazing" man.

Noah Puckerman actor Mark Salling said Sunday he was "going through a million memories and emotions today."

Lauren Potter, who plays Becky Jackson, the cheerleader with Down Syndrome, tweeted that she feels "totally heartbroken right now."

"I love Cory so much this hurts my heart," she wrote. "I hope my Glee family is OK right now. I love them all. Cory was always so nice to me. I have so many good memories."

Harry Shum Jr., who portrays dancer Mike Chang on the show, expressed disbelief on Twitter.

"This tragic news still doesn't seem real to me," said Shum. "I love you, Cory."

A tribute on stage

Matthew Morrison, who plays glee club coach Will Schuester, issued condolences before performing at a Sunday afternoon show at the cabaret 54 Below in New York, according to the New York Times.

The newspaper said he changed his opening number to sing an a cappella rendition of "What I Did for Love" from the musical, "A Chorus Line," which was featured during the second season of Glee.

"You guys came to see a show, I came to perform a show, so that's what we'll do," he said, according to the newspaper. "And we'll do it in Cory's honor."

Fox and the producers of Glee, including 20th Century Fox Television, called Monteith an exceptional performer "and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously".

"We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss," his representatives at Viewpoint Public Relations in Los Angeles said in a statement.

Outside Vancouver hotel, fans paid tribute to Monteith by leaving notes, flowers and stuffed animals.

Helen Slater, 16, who was visiting from England, said she was shocked to hear about his death as she placed a note and a stuffed moose because he had once been photographed wearing moose antlers.

She called him a "positive influence" and said Glee helped change her life.

"Nothing's going to be the same anymore," she said. The show "just put me (through) some really tough times, and helped me through depression a lot."
 
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