Ryan Murphy Says Glee Won’t Explain Cory Monteith's Death After All: ‘It Felt Really Exploitative’

It turns out Glee fans may never know how the character of Finn Hudson dies. In an interview with Deadline.com, series co-creator Ryan Murphy says the focus of the Cory Monteith tribute episode will not be about cause of death but rather a celebration of life.

“At one point, we were going to have his character die after an accidental drug overdose—that was something we had considered,” Murphy said. “But we have decided that we’re not going to have him pass from that. Basically, what we’re doing in the episode is we are not telling you yet, or maybe not at all, how that character died. That might be weird for some people, but it felt really exploitative to do it any other way. But I think it turned out to be a lovely tribute, and it’s a very heartfelt look at how young people grieve. We’re trying to craft an episode that’s not just about us grieving but about a lot of the young fans grieving.”

Monteith died of an apparent overdose at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, Canada on July 13. He was 31 years old. Glee returns for its fifth season on September 26 with two episodes celebrating the music of the Beatles.

Click below to see the series’ short memorial video for Monteith.