All The Tattoos Lea Michele Got In Honor Of Cory Monteith
Lea Michele continues to keep Cory Monteith's memory alive long after his untimely death changed Monteith's then-girlfriend and "Glee" co-star's life forever back in 2013. Michele's relationship with Monteith had been going strong for nearly two years when he shockingly died from a heroin overdose at the age of just 31. While the Broadway star has since found new love with businessman Zandy Reich, whom she married in 2019, Michele has never stopped paying tribute to the man she once loved to the extent that, according to insiders cited by People, she reportedly wanted to marry him.
In July 2023, the actor posted a black-and-white photo of her and Monteith on the 10th anniversary of his passing, along with a heartfelt message that likely got every "Glee" fan teary-eyed. "It feels like only yesterday that you were here and yet a million years ago all at the same time. I hold all of our memories in my heart where they will stay safe and never forgotten. We miss you every day and will never forget the light you to (sic) brought to us all. I miss you big guy," Michele wrote on Instagram.
In addition to her frequent social media posts about her beloved late boyfriend, who reportedly had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death, the "Scream Queens" star also decided to honor Monteith more permanently by getting three tattoos in his honor. In April 2016, Michele revealed in an Instagram post that she got the number "5" inked under her arm and wrote that it was "for my Quarterback," referencing the football jersey number of Monteith's "Glee" character Finn Hudson.
Michele got her first tattoo for Monteith years before he died
Lea Michele also got a tattoo that commemorated her relationship with Cory Monteith shortly after his death. According to posts by the actor and some eagle-eyed fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, the "Funny Girl" star got the words "I love you more" and "if you say so" inked on her right rib cage some time in 2013. The latter phrase was the title of Michele's 2014 single, which she confirmed to Seventeen detailed the final time they spoke. "Was just a week ago / You said, 'I love you girl' / I said, 'I love you more' / And a breath, a pause, you said, 'If you say so,'" she sings in the track.
Two years later, Michele seemingly unveiled a third tattoo honoring Monteith — the word "Finn" inked on her left butt cheek. The "Glee" star first revealed the dainty tattoo while posing nude for the September 2016 cover of Women's Health U.K. (via Entertainment Weekly) and shared another glimpse of it in an Instagram photo posted in July 2019, just days before the sixth anniversary of his passing. However, Michele clarified in a since-deleted post on X that the tattoo had been around since 2011 — the same year that she and Monteith started dating.
The actor gushed in a 2014 interview with Seventeen that she would always treasure the love she shared with her former co-star. "I only have happy memories of Cory. [...] Cory made me feel like a queen every day," Michele said. "From the minute he said, 'I'm your boyfriend,' I loved every day, and I thank him for being the best boyfriend and making me feel so beautiful."