Nearly three weeks after "Glee" actor Cory Monteith was found dead in a Canadian hotel room of a drug overdose, Fox execs are weighing in on how the show will continue without him.
While show creator Ryan Murphy has already revealed that Monteith's character, lovable football star, Finn Hudson, will pass away in the third episode of the new season, Fox's Chariman of Entertainment, Kevin Reilly, now says the tribute episode will directly parallel the star's real-life drug addiction problems.
While Reilly could not confirm that Finn's death would be caused by drugs, he did say that the episode would "deal directly with incidents involved in Cory's passing and the drug abuse in particular."
Reilly also shared that the cast would be shooting public service announcements, in character, to bring attention to the seriousness of addiction.
"They're going to speak directly to the audience and I think they're going to be very impactful," he said, also noting that all of the music sales from the tribute episode will go towards a fund in Monteith's name.
"You see some people struggling with addiction and it's clear," Reilly shared about Monteith's shocking death from a mix of heroine and alcohol. "Cory was a big, open, wonderful life force. He was not a problem... He looked straight as an arrow.
"He was very open about [drug addiction] in his past," he continued. "Not as open about it in the present...Everybody was ultimately shocked because it was an accident that happened to somebody struggling with addiction."
After briefly delaying production, "Glee" is set to begin shooting season five next week.
Montieth's real-life love and fellow "Glee" star Lea Michele, does plan to return to the show and has been regarded by the cast and crew as a "pillar of strength."
