Glee cast farewells Cory Monteith

Glee cast and crew have said their farewells to Cory Monteith in a private memorial this week.

20th Century FOX Television said in a statement, “Today, Ryan Murphy and Lea Michele gathered the cast, crew and producers of Glee, along with colleagues from the network and studio, to share memories and music in an emotional celebration of the life of Cory Monteith.

“We thank the public for their continued outpouring of love and support as we grieve our friend and colleague during this difficult time.”

As has been previously reported, the show also plans to pay tribute to the character of Finn in its upcoming season, but there is much to address internally, not the least of which is a duty of care to the cast.

“The right thing to do for the show, at least at this point, is to have that character pass,” creator Ryan Murphy told the Hollywood Reporter.

“When we do the tribute episode to that character, we’ll have to do it in a way where the cast members will not have to re-create feelings of grief that they’ve had this week, but do it in an upbeat way. If we can do this responsibly and help young people through these feelings, that’s the best that we can hope for.”