Cory Monteith Glee Tribute Episode Week 3 Following His Sudden Death: What Will Happen To His Character?

The Cory Monteith Glee tribute episode is officially in the works, according to the producer of the show and in October, the world will witness it.

Fox also announced that the premiere of the William McKinley High School glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality, and social issues for a fifth season has been delayed a week. It will not air on Sept. 26 and the Cory Monteith Glee tribute episode will follow shortly thereafter.

"When you're faced with something so sad and so shocking, what do you do? Do we cancel the show? Do we start shooting in January? What do we do?" "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter in regards to the Cory Monteith Glee tribute episode. "Ultimately, we decided the best thing for everyone is to get back to work and be around people who knew him and loved him so that everyone can grieve together."

On July 19, Monteith was found dead in his room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver. The autopsy report stated that Monteith died from "a mixed drug toxicity" consisting of heroin and alcohol, though his death was ruled accidental.  

Murphy said it came down to Monteith's girlfriend and co-star Lea Michele. He told E! that she "felt that the best thing for the cast and crew was to be together and to get back to work and be together every day and talk about our memories of him. So we decided to do that with Lea's blessing and we're going to go back to work and have grief counselors on the set for two weeks because people are really hurting."

The tribute episode will have to wait until week three of this newest season because two episodes have been written and dedicated to the Beatles. Those episodes will also have to be tweaked slightly after Monteith's death.

Monteith finished rehab for drug abuse in April and it was his second stint in 10 years, but people with "Glee" had faith in him getting healthy.

"It's hard to even explain how personally upsetting it is," Murphy said. "His last words to me were, 'I want to get better,' and I always felt and continue to feel even in his death that he did, that he really wanted to fight it and he was humiliated and shamed."

Murphy also said that Monteith's Finn Hudson role on the show will not be recast or played by another character. "The right thing to do for the show, at least at this point, is to have that character pass. When we do the tribute episode to that character, we'll have to do it in a way where the castmembers will not have to re-create feelings of grief that they've had this week - but do it in an upbeat way."