Lea Michele Remembers Cory Monteith; Gets His Dad’s Support To Move On

Lea Michele took a few moments out of her Sunday to acknowledge the first anniversary of the death of her close friend and former Glee co-star, Cory Monteith. Michele tweeted a warm photo of the pair with a message that expressed her affection:

We hold you in our hearts today, and every day we remember your smile. We will love you and miss you always. ?? pic.twitter.com/deA4PQUZNz

— Lea Michele (@msleamichele) July 13, 2014

Noticeably, Michele’s face is hidden in the photo, as she appears to be burying her face in Monteith’s shoulder. As a result, the photo draws more attention to Cory.

As MTV notes, Cory and Lea were dating at the time of his death. The two met while they were co-stars on Glee and were a couple for about a year and a half. Monteith died, reportedly of a drug overdose, in a hotel room in Vancouver. MTV reported at the time the 31-year-old actor had done a stint in rehab the previous March.

Monteith spoke about his tumultuous childhood and long history of drug use during a 2011 interview with Parade. Clean at the time, Monteith told the publication:

“I don’t want kids to think it’s okay to drop out of school and get high, and they’ll be famous actors, too… But for those people who might give up: Get real about what you want and go after it. If I can, anyone can.”

Lea Michele has moved on romantically, as she is currently dating Matthew Paetz, whom she met on the set of her music video “On My Way.” E! Online reports that Michele waited some time after Cory’s death before entering another relationship. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Lea recently rebuffed rumors that she is pregnant and claimed her Twitter account had been hacked.

Michele’s moving on is supported by an important person in Cory Monteith’s life: his father. Despite their history of estrangement, Cory and his dad Joe had reconciled before his death. Speaking yesterday to ET Canada, he said the loss of his son was on his mind:

“I still miss him very much and I still have the empty feeling. Cory was a likable young man and if he was in the room, you’d be smiling.”

As for Michele, Joe Monteith expressed his wish that Lea should find her own happiness:

“She’s a beautiful young woman. She should enjoy life. She had a good time when she was with Cory, from what I understand, but life’s gotta go on.”

[Left image: Lea Michele/Twitter; Right Image Rex/Buzz Foto]