Co-stars, celebs react to Cory Monteith's death

Cory Monteith, who rose to fame as a jock-turned-geek heart throb in the Fox hit Glee, died on Saturday at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in downtown Vancouver. He was 31 years old.

Monteith voluntarily admitted himself into a rehab facility in March for substance addiction. In late April, the star completed the program and checked out. His last public outing was with his girlfriend and Glee co-star Lea Michele at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 8.

News of the star's unexpected and tragic death rocked Hollywood.

• A rep for Lea Michele issued a statement early Sunday: "We ask that everyone kindly respect Lea's privacy during this devastating time."

• "I have no words! My heart is broken," Dot-Marie Jones, who plays football coach Shannon Beiste on Glee," said in a post on her Twitter account Saturday night. She called Monteith a "hell of a friend" and an "amazing" man.

• Josh Sussman, who plays Jacob on Glee, tweeted: "I am so saddened to hear about Cory. He was such a great guy/Super-kind &warm."

• Harry Shum Jr, who plays Mike Chang on Glee, tweeted: "At this time, please send nothing but love and light. This tragic news still doesn't seem real to me. I love you Cory."

• "What an absolutely tragic loss of a very talented young man," tweeted Zooey Deschanel, star of Fox's New Girl.

• Rihanna tweeted on Sunday: "Cory Monteith, may your spirit be at peace, and may you fly with the angels... Heartbreaking, my prayers are with all of his loved ones!"

• Fox and the producers of Glee, including 20th Century Fox Television, called him an exceptional performer "and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously."

• "We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss," his publicist, Melissa Kates, to USA TODAY.

• "I saw him a few weeks ago in NY, looking so happy. heartbreaking…" wrote Sophia Bush on Twitter

• "Goodbye my amazing and beautiful friend," wrote Adam Shankman, a frequent Glee director, on Twitter. "The lights in my world just grew dimmer. The world just lost one of our best. I love u so much…"

• Kristin Chenoweth, who frequently guest-starred on Glee, wrote, "RIP Cory Montieth. You will be loved. Always."

• His co-star Mark Salling offered just one word via social media as the news broke. It was simply "no."

Contributing: Associated Press