‘Glee’ Season 5 News: Why Did Producers Did Not Include The Reason For Finn Hudson’s Death In The Cory Monteith Tribute Episode ‘The Quarterback’?

As Glee bids goodbye to one of its loved characters, Finn Hudson, viewers cannot help but wonder about the lack of reason for his character's death. While 'Glee' Season 5 Episode 3 entitled 'The Quarterback' remembered Hudson, it did not provide a definite closure to his character.

Canadian actor Cory Monteith died on July 13, 2013 because of a fatal heroin and alcohol combination. While many assumed that this reason will be included in the episode, the producers of 'Glee' opted to rule it out from the storyline.

In the third episode's opening scene, Hudson's stepbrother, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) subtly explains the lack of reason: "Everyone wants to talk about how he died, too but who cares ... one moment in his whole life. I care more about how he lived. Anyone has a problem with that should remember that he was my brother."

Creator Ryan Murphy said that they did consider portraying Hudson's death as a result of accidental drug overdose but they did not pursue it: "The idea being, how somebody died is interesting and maybe morbid, but we say very early on in the episode: 'This episode is about a celebration of that character's life."

They further felt that including the reason of Hudson's death would seem "exploitative": "We're trying to craft an episode that's not just about us grieving but about a lot of the young fans grieving."

The touching episode featuring the stars of 'Glee' singing their tribute songs was later embraced by fans with heartfelt farewell messages to the late actor.