The highly publicised deaths of Glee’s Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, and Mark Salling are a sad mark on the legendary TV show, but did you know that 13 stars of Ryan Murphy’s Glee have died since filming wrapped?
Cory Monteith
Credit: Disney+
Cory Monteith was one of Glee’s leading stars from the very beginning, playing quarterback Finn Hudson, who finds himself in the Glee club after being blackmailed by Mr Schuester. As we know, he died at the age of 31 in 2013 from a heroin and alcohol overdose.
Glee was still going on when Cory died, and his memorial episode, The Quarterback, is still one of the most emotional episodes of television to this day.
Robin Trocki
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Robin Trocki played Jean Sylvester, Sue Sylvester’s sister with Down syndrome. She was one of the few characters who didn’t receive Sue’s famous wrath, bringing out a softer side of the cheerleading coach. Sadly, Robin died at the age of 63 after complications with Alzheimer’s in 2019.
Olivia Newton-John
Credit: Disney+
Grease’s Olivia Newton-John played herself in two episodes of Glee’s inaugural season, Bad Reputation and Journey to Regionals. After a long battle with cancer in 2022, she passed away at age 73.
Michael Lerner
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In seasons four and five, when Rachel and some of the gang moved to New York City, Michael Lerner played Funny Girl’s Broadway producer, Sidney Greene, in five episodes.
He died on April 8, 2023, at the age of 81.
Jane Galloway Heitz
Though she did appear in cut scenes from season one, you proboably know Jane Galloway Heitz from her portrait on the Glee club’s wall. She played the founder of Glee Club, Lillian Adler, but died in 2019 at the age of 78.
Naya Rivera
Credit: Disney+
It’s been five years since she died, but I’m still not ready to talk about Naya Rivera’s tragic passing. She was just 33 at the time and died after saving her child from drowning, literally sacrificing her own life to save his.
As we know, Naya played the undeniable best character in Glee, Santana Lopez.
Meat Loaf
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Legendary rockstar Meat Loaf took part in The Rocky Horror Glee Show as the disgruntled manager of a local news station. Alongside Sue, he sought to stop the school’s production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Meat Loaf passed away in January 2022, at the age of 74.
Barbara Tarbuck
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Barbara appeared in the season three episode The Purple Piano Project as the angry geometry teacher, Nancy Bletheim. She wasn’t pleased about her lesson being interrupted for the 1,000th time, and to be honest, I get it. Barbara died at the end of 2016 from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Phyllis Applegate
Credit: Netflix
Birdie Lawrence, played by Phyllis Applegate, was one of the Show Choir Rules Committee in the season four episode Makeover. The legendary stage actress died on January 13, 2023, at the age of 92.
Mark Salling
Credit: Disney+
Noah Puckerman’s actor, Mark Salling, was arrested in 2015 on charges of possessing child p*rnography. While awaiting sentencing, he died by suicide in 2018.
Patty Duke
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During All or Nothing in season four, Patty Duke played Jan, who helps Blaine Anderson pick out a ring for Kurt Hummel. It was a touching moment between queer characters, but she died in 2016 at the age of 69.
Jean Sincere
Credit: Disney+
Jean Sincere passed away on April 3, 2013, from natural causes. In Glee, she played the super old, super angry librarian.
Tim Conway
Credit: Disney+
In season five, when Kurt staged a production of Peter Pan, comedian Tim Conway played Marty Rogers, a member of the retirement community. He died in 2019 at the age of 85.
That’s all of the Glee stars who have died – sorry for the trauma dump.
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Featured image credit: Disney+
