Glee's Darren Criss has broken his silence about the death of his friend and castmate Cory Monteith.
After declining to talk to the press following Monteith's sudden death in mid-July, Criss opened up on Thursday night's Conan, calling the late actor a "dear friend" and "a joy."
Criss admitted it's been a "very rough time" for him and the rest of the show's cast, but he thinks it's important to remember Monteith's sense of humor and try to remain happy.
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"He was a really funny guy, a great sense of humor," Criss said. "He loved life and always took care of his friends and wanted his friends to be happy. So it's only right that we try and start to smile again, start to laugh again, cause that's something he would've wanted."
Criss added: "On a personal note, he'll be severely missed, but I'm just so happy that a guy like him got to touch as many lives as he did while we were all lucky enough to have him."
O'Brien said he was wishing Criss and the rest of the Glee cast the best.
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Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room July 13. An autopsy revealed he died of "mixed drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol."
Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly said Thursday that Monteith's character would be written out of Glee during the third episode of the show's upcoming fifth season.
