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I can't say I was shocked when they said it was an overdose. Very sad. I feel awful for his family and loved ones.

Addiction is a disease like any other, so I think celebrities suffering from it just shows that it can happen to anyone. Also Cory's struggles started long before he was famous. I'm curious if the rate of addiction among celebrities is any different than the general population or if it just feels like it more famous people struggle from it because they're in the spotlight and we always hear about it. I feel like sometimes people think that a famous person who succumbs to addiction is less sympathetic because they have it all -- money, talent, looks, etc. -- but I don't think that's fair. Everyone has their own struggles and being rich and famous doesn't mean your life is perfect.

I do feel awful for his family, friends, Lea, everyone. It's my understanding that his drug problems started well before he was famous. I think somewhere it said he was like 13 years old?

If so, he's been battling it for a while and addiction is very tough to break, even with a support system like he had. Everything I've read said that his acting and everyone he met as a result kept him on a sober path as much as they could but that he fell back into his old ways when he went home.

I guess in his case I don't see it as a result of being famous but that he has been battling addiction for years. I never watched Glee but I think it's sad that someone so young with such a bright future lost his fight with addiction, which is a tough battle.

I assumed it was an OD from the start. With his history of addiction, it was almost a no-brainer, unfortunately. It's still a shame. Addiction is a terrible illness.

However, this is not an issue that is exclusive to celebrities. My MIL died of an accidental OD.

I think in his case his disease got the best of him, he struggled before becoming famous with drugs, and started at the ripe young age of 13. Reports say he attended rehab twice before the age of 20. I think even though he really wanted to overcome this demon/disease but he wasn't able too. My heart breaks for his family because he really did want to get clean.

@rahlyrah: Very very true!

@MrsSCB: Exactly this!

I'm not sure the rate of celebrity/rich addition and avoidable death due to an accidental overdose is really any different the poor/poverished. It's just that those with names for themselves make our headlines.

In general I get really upset by the media attention celebrity deaths get and how people who don't personally know these individuals get so heartbroken over them. Yes, they are tragic and this young man had a lot of potential, but thousands of other people die every day for various reasons and besides their family and friends, it seems like their deaths go unnoticed by the general population.

I also assumed it was from a drug overdose, but I was hoping that wasn't the case.

I don't know why it matters, but the fact that it was from Heroin just makes it worse. To me at least.

@rahlyrah: Agree 100%.

Addiction doesn't discriminate. It's all consuming, no matter how wonderful or terrible someone's life is. It destroys relationships, careers and pretty much everything else. So many people fall off the wagon because of the difficulty of just quitting. It's a disease.

It's sad when anyone dies as a result of addiction, but when a celebrity dies, it's often shocking. For one, people tend to feel a connection to celebrities they like even though they don't know them personally. Also, it's just depressing to see someone talented lose a battle like that.