Following the tragic loss of one if its stars, US Weekly reports that Fox has confirmed that "Glee" will be delayed for its fifth season in the wake of Cory Monteith's death.
The season premiere date for season 5 has been moved to September 26 from its original September 16 airdate.
"In light of the tragic passing of beloved 'Glee' cast member Cory Monteith, the series' executive producers, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Broadcasting Company have jointly decided to delay the start of production of 'Glee' until early August," the statement said. "No further details are available at this time."
Monteith played the hunky Finn Hudson on the show since its premiere in 2009. On July 13, he was found dead in his Vancouver hotel room, and later coroners and officials confirmed it was due to a "mixed toxicity" in his blood containing alcohol and heroin.
"Our belief is that when he took the heroin he was alone," Vancouver Police Department spokesman Brian Montague told FOX. "There was evidence in the room that was consistent with a drug overdose. We're not providing exactly what we found at the scene."
The 31-year old star had longed struggled with addiction and had battled the illness for years, his girlfriend and "Glee" co-star Lea Michele never far from his side.
Co-star Diana Argon made a statement on July 17 to US Weekly: "I have never lost a friend. In this difficult time, I am leaning on all of the wonderful memories we shared with Cory, how many ways he was able to make us smile. 'Glee' was a gift to all of us. It gave us a family in this industry. My heart goes out to his family, to Lea, to everyone that is struggling with the loss of our friend. We will miss you Cory. We will always carry a piece of you with us."
Jane Lynch also gave her condolences over the tragic loss of the star on "Jay Leno" on July 17. "Cory had one of the biggest hearts, a real bright light. He was one of those guys," she said. "He knew he was breathing rarefied air - the gift that this wonderful show gave us."
Monteith's body was given a private viewing at the hospital, attended by his mother Ann, brother Shaun and girlfriend Lea Michele. Afterwards, at the request of his mother, his body was cremated.
