Lea Michele honors Cory Monteith with emotional tribute 5 years after his death
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lea Michele still feels the presence of her late boyfriend Cory Monteith — and she hopes his fans do, too.
Michele, 31, took to Twitter Friday on the fifth anniversary of Monteith's death to remember his everlasting light.
“There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they have gone, the light remains," Michele tweeted a quote, along with a photograph of an ocean sunset.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The tweet was shared nearly 8,000 times as of Friday evening, with thousands of fans replying to Michele's emotional message.
"Thinking of Cory today. he will forever and always be loved, missed, and remembered. Love you Lea," one Twitter user wrote.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Oh yeah. He brought a beautiful light to our world. Gone but never forgotten. Stay strong babe. Love you so much," another added.
"I am sending you so much love today. This post is beautiful. He is and will forever be the biggest light," one user commented.
Monteith was found dead in a Canadian hotel room on July 13, 2013. A coroner's report blamed the 31-year-old "Glee" actor's death on a fatal dose of heroin and alcohol.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I classify this death as accidental," coroner Claire Thompson said in a 2013 report.
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Monteith had talked bluntly about struggling with addiction since he was a teenager, calling it a serious problem and telling Parade magazine in 2011 he was "lucky to be alive."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michele and Monteith dated both on and off screen. The pair started seriously seeing each other two years after "Glee" first aired in 2009. She is now engaged to boyfriend Zandy Reich, sharing a photo of her diamond ring on Instagram in April with the caption, "Yes."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.