Cory Monteith Tribute Episode on 'Glee:' First Look
Almost four months after Cory Monteith's death, "Glee" writers released a promotional photo for the forthcoming tribute to the actor on Thursday.
The entertainment industry was rocked after Monteith was found dead in his hotel room in Vancouver, Canada on July 13. An autopsy revealed that the 31-year-old died from a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol.
Ahead of the "Glee" season premiere on Sept. 26, screenwriter Ryan Murphy tweeted the first image from the new season without Monteith.
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The black-and-white photo featured a close-up of the actor's face and the caption, "The hardest word to say is 'goodbye.'"
Fox Entertainment's chairman Kevin Reilly said that the series would "deal directly" with Monteith's death in relation to his character, Finn.
Furthermore, the musical television series is slated to air a tribute episode for Montheith during the third week of its current fifth season.
First, the series kicked off with its two-part Beatles tribute episodes, starting with "Love, Love, Love" which aired Sept, 26, while "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" will air on Oct. 3.
Monteith's tribute episode is set to air on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. EST on Fox.
Meanwhile, "Glee" cast members struggled to cope with Monteith's death- especially the actor's girlfriend Lea Michele.
As both Monteith's on and off-screen girlfriend, the late actor's co-star Michele previously described the upcoming tribute to him as "beautiful and perfect." The 26-year-old actress recorded a tribute song for Monteith to be featured during the special "Glee" episode.
"Thank you Alex Anders an Adam Anders for a great recording session today… You guys are the best," the actress posted in late July. "Couldn't have picked a more beautiful & perfect song to start the year with."
According to reports, Michele was anxious to get back to the set of "Glee" despite the widespread grieving on the set.
"She was very adamant that she thought it was best for the cast and crew to get back together sooner [rather] than later," said "Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy, according to TV Line.
"Cory was so beloved that she felt people really needed to be together in this time," he added. "So we sort of followed her lead."
"Glee" airs on Fox Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST.
