Former Glee star Dianna Agron is honoring the memory of her late co-stars Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Naya Rivera. The 39-year-old actress, who played Quinn Fabray on the hit musical series from 2009 to 2015, recently appeared on the podcast And That’s What You REALLY Missed.
During the interview, Agron shared her vivid memories of Monteith, Rivera, and Salling, all of whom passed away in their 30s. “It’s hard to think of our loved ones from the show not being present with us anymore because they feel so present in my heart, body, mind, soul, all of it,” she told host and former co-star Jenna Ushkowitz.
“I think that tenderness I feel and the memories that I have [of] who Cory, Naya and Mark were as people, as cast members, as our friends and family [are] just so vivid. That will never dissipate for me, ever. I think there’s beauty in that. I could replay memory after memory after memory,” she asserted.
Monteith, who starred as Finn Hudson, died of an accidental drug overdose in July 2013 at age 31. Salling, who played Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman, died by suicide in 2018 at age 35 while awaiting sentencing on child pornography charges. Rivera, beloved as Santana Lopez, drowned in Lake Piru, California, while saving her young son Josey in 2020. She was 33.
Speaking fondly of Monteith, Agron remembered him as a gentle presence on set. “He was a teddy bear,” she recalled. “He was this tall, big brotherly presence in all of our lives. His character had a leadership position in the show, and there was not an ungenerous bone in his body. [Cory] just felt so safe and equally excited about what he was getting to experience with his character.”
