‘Glee’ season 5: Ryan Murphy, Lea Michele, cast reunite for Cory Monteith memorial

Prior to production on “Glee” season 5 starting up in Los Angeles early next month, today marked a day of mourning for the entire family as for the first time, the entire team behind the Fox show gathered to remember the life of one of their own in Cory Monteith. The actor’s death, seemingly from a combination of alcohol and heroin use, shocked the world earlier this month, and decimated one of the closest-knit families within the world of television. At the center of this was his real-life girlfriend Lea Michele, who has known him since the pilot and dated him for over a year.

While no further details will be released about the situation save for the statement below via 20th Century Fox Television (the studio behind the show), it at least gives you some sort of perspective about what transpired today:

“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.”

While work will resume soon on the new season, word is that there will continue to be grief counselors on set in the coming weeks as the cast continues to wrestle with life without one of their biggest stars and closest friends. Based on what Murphy said recently, the first two episodes for “Glee” season 5 will happen as planned, and it will be followed by an hour that deals with what looks to be the death of Monteith’s character Finn. While this may be another moment of tragedy and heartbreak, it is the only way to preserve the legacy of the character to fans, rather than just having him disappear and abandon the love of his life in Michele’s Rachel.

Over the past few weeks, everyone from guest star Charice to series regulars like Jenna Ushkowitz has spoken out about Cory’s death. You can read more on this subject here.

Photo: Fox