Fox is paying tribute to late Glee star Cory Monteith with a sweet tribute.
On Thursday, just before a repeat episode of the Fox musical aired, the network aired a 12-second memorial card to the actor who rose to fame as lovable underdog jock Finn Hudson.
The dialogue-free clip showcases Finn's sweetest successes on Glee and ends with the show's trademark white text on a black screen: "Cory Monteith Forever in our hearts."
PHOTOS: 'Glee' and 17 Other TV Shows That Lost a Star
Glee creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk will use the third episode of the dramedy's upcoming season to pay tribute to Monteith. The actor, 31, died July 13 of an accidental overdose involving heroin and alcohol. Fox will also set up a scholarship fund in Monteith's memory with proceeds from the episode's music sales. Murphy and the cast will also participate in PSAs tied to the episode.
"The third episode will be Finn Hudson being written out of the show," Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly told reporters Thursday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. The first two episodes -- tributes to the Beatles -- will be fun and celebratory, the executive said. "It would be difficult to come out of the gate right away and then recover," he said of not addressing Monteith's passing in the first two hours. After episode three -- which may include outtakes and unused footage -- Glee will take a likely three-week break for the World Series, which will allow the writers to "reset" the series.
"Cory's character will be written off and [it] will deal directly with drug addiction and the circumstances surrounding Cory's death," Reilly said.
"The right thing to do for the show, at least at this point, is to have that character pass," Murphy recently told The Hollywood Reporter. "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 [following Monteith's death] -- but do it in an upbeat way. If we can do this responsibly and help young people through these feelings, that’s the best that we can hope for."
Glee returns Sept. 26, one week later than initially planned. Watch the memorial card, below.
E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
