The cast of Glee have suffered a lot of tragedies over the years, with the deaths of Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera and Mark Salling.

Cory sadly died in 2013, two years before Glee ended, from “a mixed drug toxicity” consisting of heroin and alcohol, with his death ruled accidental. Mark died by suicide five years later, just months after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.

Naya died aged 33 in 2020 after drowning in a California lake after getting her young son to safety. Now, their co-star Dianna Agron has admitted it’s been difficult to process their deaths.

“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 said during an appearance on the And That’s What You REALLY Missed podcast.

Dianna added, “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.”

Dianna said she doesn’t imagine the feelings will ever go away, before adding, “I think there’s beauty in that. I could replay memory after memory after memory.”

Dianna played Quinn Fabray in Glee, starring alongside Cory as her character’s on-and-off boyfriend Finn Hudson, Naya as Santana Lopez and Mark as Noah “Puck” Puckerman.

Dianna shared on the podcast that she likes to look back at her co-stars’ talent and work ethic with fondness.

Speaking about Cory, Dianna recalled, “He was a teddy bear, and I mean that in a way of his kindness and groundedness in himself was so perfect. He was this tall, big brotherly presence in all of our lives.

“[Cory] just felt so safe and equally excited about what he was getting to experience with his character. His character had a leadership position in the show, as well, and there was not an ungenerous bone in his body.”

She said Cory was protective of people both on and off set.

“I remember this one time that he was having people swim in his backyard. My brother had come down and [Cory] said, ‘Oh, you’re squinting a lot. Do you not have a pair of sunglasses?’” she recalled. “He was like, ‘Oh, no, I don’t,’ and [Cory] took him into his room. He’s, like, ‘These are all my sunglasses. Just take a pair.’ … That’s who he was always. It was so amazing to have.”

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