Cory Monteith: Glee tribute episode to 'deal directly' with drug addiction

A tribute episode of Glee will “deal directly” with the circumstances surrounding Cory Monteith’s death, a Fox executive has confirmed.

A television tribute to the Glee actor, who died from a drug overdose last month, is planned for the third week of the series’s fifth season which is due to air in the autumn. 

Kevin Reilly, chairman of entertainment at Fox, said Monteith’s character Finn Hudson will be written out of the series in the memorial episode.

“That episode will deal directly with the incidents involved in Cory’s passing and the drug abuse in particular,” he said.

Reilly also confirmed that the cast will record a message warning about substance addiction to be aired in advertising slots during the broadcast.

Music sales from the tribute will go into a charitable fund in Monteith’s honour.

The actor, 31, was found dead in his hotel in Vancouver two weeks ago. An autopsy revealed he died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol.

Reilly said Fox intends the episode to be a “celebration” of Monteith’s life.

He told the Television Critics Association.: “You see some people struggling with addiction, it’s clear: ‘He was dark, she was always a partier.’ Cory wasn’t like that. He was a big, open, wonderful life force.”

He added that Lea Michele, Monteith’s girlfriend in the series and off screen, had been a “pillar of strength” throughout planning the episode.

Earlier this week Michele broke her silence about Monteith’s death, telling her 3.5 million Twitter followers: “Thank you all for helping me through this time with your enormous love & support. Cory will forever be in my heart.”