Dianna Agron, who co-starred on “Glee” with actor Cory Monteith, released a touching statement this week regarding his tragic death last weekend.

31-year old Monteith died in a Vancouver hotel room from a mixture of alcohol and heroin, according to the coroner’s report. His girlfriend, co-star Lea Michele, has stayed out of the public eye and hasn’t released a statement while in mourning, but some of the show’s cast members have come forward to share their memories of Cory and to give their condolences to his family and Michele.

“I have never lost a friend. In this difficult time, I am leaning on all of the wonderful memories we shared with Cory, how many ways he was able to make us smile,” Agron said. “Glee was a gift to all of us. It gave us a family in this industry. We really cut our teeth and grew up on this show. In playing underdogs, we learned that we had dug into the hearts of our viewers and that we could stay there. Cory is so deserving of that place in everyone’s hearts. He was one of the most generous and kind people that I have ever met. He had a smart, curious mind, he was an enormous talent. He was loving to not only me but my family. My heart goes out to his family, to Lea, to everyone that is struggling with the loss of our friend. We will miss you Cory. We will always carry a piece of you with us.”

Monteith struggled with drug and alcohol abuse from a young age and said that finding the arts was what helped him get through difficult periods in his life. He entered a rehab facility as recently as this April for an unknown substance, but friends and family seemed shocked when news of his death broke earlier this week, saying he’d been in a good place.

The young actor was cremated on July 16th in a private ceremony in Vancouver.