Cory Monteith's Former Roommate Shares Memories of His 'Goofball' Late Friend: 'He Changed My Life'
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It's been nearly a decade since Glee's Cory Monteith died from a heroin overdose at 31 years old, but for his good friend and former roommate Justin Neill, the loss is still difficult to bear.
"Even now, I still can't comprehend that he's gone," Neill, who appears in the new docuseries The Price of Glee, premiering Jan. 16 on ID and discovery+, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Cory was a great friend. And he changed my life."
When Neill first met Monteith, he was a budding performer on the brink of stardom. After Glee premiered in 2009, the actor's life changed forever.
"Cory was extremely grateful for the show and there was a level of gratitude all the time," recalls Neill. "He had this mentality like, 'I should be working on roofs in [his native] Canada in the snow, this wasn't supposed to happen!' But being human, he did have days where he was exhausted. And he needed separation and alone time. He just couldn't be on 24/7."
Courtesy Cory Monteith and Justin Neill
Continues Neill: "He wasn't his character [football star Finn Hudson]. He was a real person. He was neurotic and generous and a goofball. And he was one of the smartest people I knew."
Despite the success and perks, including World Series games and trips to Australia — "Cory always brought us along," says Neill — Monteith's past demons returned and the actor entered rehab in April 2013.
"When we met, he was eight or nine years sober," says Neill. "I never saw him messed up. And then when he got back from rehab, I thought great, our Cory is back. He's doing the work, and for that, I was grateful."
Courtesy Cory Monteith and his roommate Justin Neill
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Monteith's death that July "was so much bigger than I could comprehend," recalls Neill. "This just shows that sometimes even having it all isn't enough to make someone happy."
These days, Neill still does his best to keep the spirit of his beloved friend alive. "Cory used to give the best life advice," he says. "I still talk to him all the time."
For more on Cory Monteith and Justin Neill's friendship, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.
FOX via Getty Images Glee cast
Investigation Discovery released the first trailer for The Price of Glee in December. The three-part docuseries will cover the Fox hit show and its dark behind-the-scenes drama, including the sudden deaths of Monteith, and his costars Naya Rivera and Mark Salling.
Like Monteith, Rivera and Salling also died at young ages, and by tragic circumstances.
Rivera portrayed cheerleader Santana Lopez and died at age 33 on July 13, 2020 after she accidentally drowned during a boating trip with her son at a Southern California lake. Salling played jock Noah "Puck" Puckerman and died at age 35 in an apparent suicide weeks before he was scheduled to be sentenced to prison for possessing child pornography.
Despite rumors of the Glee cast's involvement, a press release for the docuseries states that no cast members would be featured on the show. Instead, the network said the episodes would feature "those outside of the cast bubble who can provide no-strings-attached perspectives, such as: relatives and friends of Glee cast members; those who were on the set and close to it such as set decorators, hairdressers, stylists and publicists; and entertainment reporters who covered the phenomenon."
"I don't want to say the C word — the 'curse' word — but that's where your mind goes," says one person in the trailer, as another interviewee adds, "My first reaction is blame. I still feel that there is someone to blame."
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The Price of Glee premieres all three episodes on Monday, January 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ID, and will be available to stream the same day on discovery+.
