“Glee” star Cory Monteith’s death came as a blow to most; he was in a relationship with his gorgeous costar (Lea Michele) and recently completed a round of rehab. He was set to start shooting a new season of the musical television show when news of his untimely demise began to appear in my timeline and then confirmed by several news sources.
I was never a huge fan of the show (I was burned out of singing high schoolers by the time “High School Musical”made its cinematic debut) but a young celebrity death always begs my attention.
Reports flooded in that Monteith walked in his hotel and was found dead later that evening. Eerie similarities to other celebrities’ deaths such as Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger arose in my mind. Alcohol was reported as the first cause of death, then we learned heroin was also a factor.
Heroin is a drug that seems to have gotten little media attention. Even on shows that come on National Geographic, crack addicts and marijuana drug rings get more attention. But suddenly, several respected publications began calling Monteith “the new face of heroin.” I begin to ask myself, how does one even get into heroin? What does it even look like? And mostly: Why are we damaging an actor’s legacy by linking him to the deadly drug? I thought this accusation was inappropriate and tacky.
Recently, a heroin overdose became a real entity to me. A friend sent me a text: “[Name] died last night.” The words stood out from our earlier conversation about some 20-something. I texted back, “What, why?” A friend of my friend died from a heroin overdose. A friend of my friend who was a young, successful white man just… like the Monteith.
Usually, when us Earthlings can make connections to celebrities, it is exciting. Having the same outfit or sharing similar interests to a household name is small talk; however, when we can parallel a cause of death to a friend’s cause of death it is unsuitable for most day-to-day conversations.
Although not as appropriate as a quick exchange about Columbia’s unbearable heat, it is common to hear whispers about other students’ drug use. Fraternities lose their big brick houses in the Greek Village and some students lose their scholarship to illicit drugs. Most of these students are affluent and young, and these stories and rumors are always rampant and alike.
A misplaced fraternity or a scholarship loss can be quite fatal to a college career, but is heroin the next young privileged person’s killer? Share your thoughts below.
