Let's get this out of the way up front, okay?
There's no such thing as a Glee curse.
Stating otherwise does an insensitive injustice to the deaths of Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera and Mark Salling -- all of whom starred on Glee and all of whom have sadly passed away.
This said, the tragic fact remains that all three actors are dead.
Rivera, of course, was officially declared gone by the sheriff's department this week, six days after she went missing in Lake Piru in California.
The actress drowned after renting a pontoon boat with her four-year old son, Joey...
... and then mustering up enough energy to boost the toddler back on board the boat once a strong current picked up. But not enough to save herself.
The search for Rivera's body ended with its discovery on July 13, which is the exact date on which Monteith died of a drug overdose seven years ago.
This coincidence has not been lost on fans of the show... or former stars of the show.
"I'm not religious by any means, but you'd be hard-pressed to convince me that Cory didn't help find our girl today," Kevin McHale, whoo portrayed Artie on Glee, Tweeted after Rivera was confirmed dead.
"These 2, in many ways, were the male and female versions of one another.
"So nice, cared deeply, were stupidly talented, the most fun, and really really good people."
Cory Monteith’s mom, Ann McGregor, has now also paid tribute to Rivera on Instagram.
“For the last 7 years the 13th of July has shattered our hearts beyond repair,” a post shared by the official Instagram account for Monteith’s legacy on reads.
“There aren’t enough words to describe the pain we are feeling, we are truly heartbroken at the loss of @nayarivera.”
McGregor and her close friends run the account Cory’s Law, which is dedicated to keeping his “legacy of helping others” alive.
“Naya, Cory loved you so so much,” the post continues.
“He cherished your friendship more than you will ever know. From the laughs you shared, to the strength you gave him when he needed it the most.
"Cory truly adored you."
"He was in awe of your incredible talent, the way you gave everything you had to each performance; the slap in the auditorium was one of his favourite stories to share.
"You once said Cory was like a member of your family; you will always be a part of ours. We’ll carry you in our hearts forever. We miss you. Friends reunited for eternity.
"We send all our love and strength to your beautiful boy, your family, friends and fans."
Finally, for this latest update on the reaction to Rivera's passing, we have a heartfelt message from Heather Morris, who played Brittany on Glee.
Her character and Rivera's Santana were involved in a same-sex relationship on the Fox program.
"We started out as the closest friends and then like all new things, we went through a bit of a rocky phase," wrote Morris.
"However, we stuck by each other’s side and created the most beautiful friendship built out of love and understanding."
She went on to say the last time she saw Rivera, she left oranges outside her home and, in turn, her late friend and Josey left succulents on her doorstep.
"I planted those succulents and I look at them everyday and think of you.
"I still listen to your EP on repeat because from the moment I heard it, it struck me and I always wished the world knew more of your voice," Morris noted.
She also included photos of her and Rivera's kids playing together along with her lengthy caption.
Morris continued by saying how Rivera would send her recipes and SnapChat videos of her and her son, and how they "vowed to spend every Easter together, even though Covid stole this last one from us."
"You are and always will be the strongest and most resilient human being I know, and I vowed to carry that with me as I continue to live my life," Morris continued.
"You constantly taught me lessons about grief, about beauty and poise, about being strong, resilient and about not giving a f**k (but still somehow respectful )."
Morris explained that she and Naya never took photos together, because "we mutually hated taking pictures," and wrote:
"I have countless pictures of our babies playing, because we shared that kind of pride and joy."
Morris concluded by stating that she's sharing these photos of their goofballs "because I know that meant more than anything and they remind me of you and I.
"I speak to you everyday because I know you’re still with me and even though I’m feeling greedy that we don’t get more time together, I cherish every moment we had and hold it close to my heart."
