Cory Monteith's last words to creator of 'Glee' were thanks for "helping him get better"

He told Entertainment Weekly: "We hugged, and the last thing he said was 'I love you, man, and thank you for helping me get better.' And then the next thing I knew he was dead. It was like losing a child.

"What started off as being such a great celebration of love and acceptance ultimately became about darkness and death. It was a great lesson in what not to do moving forward. And many of them are my good friends to this day."

Meanwhile, Cory's co-star Naya Rivera previously revealed she thought Lea Michele, who dated the actor until his death, was good for Cory.

She said: "When Cory and Lea started dating, it was a total surprise. The more serious they got, the less Cory hung out with us and the more he seemed like a different person. One year he came back from the break between seasons super skinny.

"He said he'd been spending a lot of time at the gym and was trying to be responsible - not spending money all the time and buying crazy cars like he used to. My personal feelings for Lea aside, I knew that she wasn't a partier, so I felt like maybe their relationship could actually be good for him. I was happy for Cory to have a stable influence in his life, wherever it was he found it."