Cory Monteith Death: Ryan Murphy Reveals What Will Happen to 'Glee' Character Finn Hudson in Season 5

One week after "Glee" actor Cory Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room of a drug overdose, show creator Ryan Murphy is speaking out about the tragic death of his friend, and how the show will continue without him.

"When you're faced with something so sad and so shocking, what do you do? Do we cancel the show? Do we start shooting in January? What do we do?" he told The Hollywood Reporter. "Ultimately, we decided the best thing for everyone is to get back to work and be around people who knew him and loved him so that everyone can grieve together."

FOX announced last week that the show's September premiere will only be delayed one week, from Sept. 19 to Sept. 26. Shooting will also begin in early August as opposed to late July.

Murphy admits he struggled with how to handle Monteith's death on the show.

"The right thing to do for the show, at least at this point, is to have that character pass," he said of his plans for Monteith's character, lovable jock Finn Hudson. "When we do the tribute episode to that character, we'll have to do it in a way where the castmembers will not have to re-create feelings of grief that they've had this week -- but do it in an upbeat way."

The tribute is set to appear in the third episode of the season, and Murphy also hopes it will be meaningful for fans saddened by Monteith's tragic death.

"If we can do this responsibly and help young people through these feelings, that's the best that we can hope for," he said.

Murphy also noted that he spoke with Lea Michele, Monteith's "Glee" co-star and off-screen girlfriend, telling her that he would understand if she did not want to return to the show. Murphy said she told him that it wasn't an option.