A week gone by now.
I was really saddened by the news of his death, as I was secretly hoping he would be one those rare figures with a troubled childhood who could rise from it, and make his life a success. That no matter where you came from, or what past you lived, you can change your life for the better. What a great role model he would have been. But alas, I was wrong.
What made the loss of this young life particularly tragic for me was that he got into drugs when he was only a child (aged 13!!!) - far away from Hollywood limelight. He was quite open about his past. His drug use was not triggered by fame and fortune, as happens in so many cases. Instead, drugs seemed to have been part of his youth - just like playing football may be for another boy. It must be difficult for someone like him to completely avoid substance abuse. Because... who knows... maybe, you just don't know life any different?
People tend to say that he was an adult, and made the choice to use drugs. But each time I think about his untimely end, I don't see a full-grown adult taking that unfortunate and fatal overdose. I see a child with a big smile who was not given the chance at an innocent childhood, and was lured into drugs for whatever reason many years ago. That boy simply carried that addiction into his adult life. I would argue that the choice was not made by an adult, but by a child...
A child that could well be yours or mine. And that makes me shed a tear from time to time.
R.I.P. Cory Monteith.