All Glee Cast Deaths in Order of Their Passing

Few shows deal with as much tragedy as Fox’s Glee. The show, which ran from 2009 to 2015, saw several of its cast members pass away, some while the show was on the air and some shortly after. Here are all the Glee cast deaths in order of their passing.

Every Glee Cast Member to Die

Cory Monteith – July 13, 2023

Glee made use of an ensemble cast of up-and-coming actors, but Cory Monteith was one of the standouts. On top of making viewers laugh with his great comedic timing as Finn Hudson, his on-screen and off-screen relationship with Lea Michele was the talk of the town until his unfortunate passing on July 13, 2023.

Monteith was found dead at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver, Canada. While his cause of death was initially unclear, an autopsy revealed that he died from a “mixed drug toxicity” that consisted of heroin and alcohol (via BBC). The third episode of the fifth season of Glee featured a tribute to the actor.

Mark Salling – January 30, 2018

Mark Salling’s Noah Puckerman was a TV bad boy if there ever was one. He reluctantly joined the glee club and quickly became one of its most important members. Salling would appear in every season of the Fox show but ran into legal trouble following its conclusion.

In May 2016, Salling was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography (via The Hollywood Reporter). He pleaded guilty in September 2017 and was expected to serve jail time. However, before his sentencing, Salling committed suicide in January 2018 in Los Angeles.

Related: The Ending of Netflix’s Incoming, Explained

Naya Rivera – July 8, 2020

Naya Rivera stole hearts as the complicated Santana Lopez, who became one of the leads of Glee in its later seasons. She would appear in all six seasons of the show and have success after it ended, appearing in things like Batman: The Long Halloween and Step Up: High Water.

Unfortunately, on July 9, 2020, Rivera was presumed dead after her son was found alone on a boat in Lake Piru in California. While swimming, Rivera was unable to get back into the boat after helping her son and went underwater. Her body was found on July 13, and a day later, the Ventura County medical examiner listed her cause of death as “accidental drowning” (via BBC).

Other Glee Cast Member Deaths

While the three actors listed above were the main cast members of Glee to pass away, other people who have appeared on the show have died as well. Here’s a list of all of them and when they died:

• Jean Sincere – April 3, 2013
• Suzanne Krull – July 27, 2013
• Patty Duke – March 29, 2016
• Tonita Locastro – May 8, 2016
• Barbara Tarbuck – December 26, 2016
• Tim Conway – May 14, 2019
• Jane Galloway Heitz – November 13, 2019
• Robin Trocki – December 14, 2019
• James Lipton – March 2, 2020
• Michael Mandell – July 26, 2022
• Meat Loaf – January 20, 2022
• Mike Hagerty – May 5, 2022
• Olivia Newton-John – August 8, 2022
• Sonya Eddy – December 19, 2022
• Phyllis Applegate – January 12, 2023
• Michael Lerner – April 8, 2023
• Edmund Shaff – June 16, 2023

And those are all Glee cast deaths in order of their passing.

Glee is streaming now on Hulu.