'I'm afraid one day I'll forget his voice': Lea Michele leads emotional onscreen tribute to tragic Glee star Cory Monteith... as cast all shed real tears for character Finn

  • Episode drew in 7.4m viewers, up 40 per cent on season premiere

By Juliet Paylor

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This is the heartbreaking moment Cory Monteith's real-life girlfriend, Lea Michele, bursts into tears as she sings a tribute to him on Glee. 

The actress - Rachel Berry on the hit show - returns to McKinley High to take part in a memorial to star quarterback Finn Hudson, whose character has died three weeks before the episode.

It was not specified at any point during the episode how Finn had died.

In reality, actor Cory Monteith passed away from a heroin and alcohol overdose in a Vancouver hotel in July - at the age of just 31.

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Real tribute: The lines of art and reality were blurred as Lea Michele led a very emotional tribute to her late boyfriend Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson on show Glee before his untimely death

Real tribute: The lines of art and reality were blurred as Lea Michele led a very emotional tribute to her late boyfriend Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson on show Glee before his untimely death

Tearjerker: Fans had been eager to see just how the beloved character would be farewelled by Cory's real-life girlfriend, who had tears streaming down her face as she sung Make You Feel My Love while tenderly touching her 'Finn' necklace
Tearjerker: Fans had been eager to see just how the beloved character would be farewelled by Cory's real-life girlfriend, who had tears streaming down her face as she sung Make You Feel My Love while tenderly touching her 'Finn' necklace

Tearjerker: Fans had been eager to see just how the beloved character would be farewelled by Cory's real-life girlfriend, who had tears streaming down her face as she sung Make You Feel My Love while tenderly touching her 'Finn' necklace

Raw emotion: Lea Michele didn't have to dig deep as she portrayed her character Rachel Berry's heartache at losing on-off boyfriend Finn Hudson after losing real-life love Cory Monteith

Raw emotion: Lea Michele didn't have to dig deep as she portrayed her character Rachel Berry's heartache at losing on-off boyfriend Finn Hudson after losing real-life love Cory Monteith

  

The emotional episode, the third of Season 5, drew in 7.4m viewers and beat the season premiere, which saw 5.06m tune in.

It was hard to separate fact from fiction when Lea, who dated Cory from 2012 until the time of his death, told the Glee club: 'Nobody treat me with kid gloves, OK?'

Struggling to contain her tears, she said: 'I don't know what to say either. 

'I loved Finn and he loved me and he loved all of you guys.   

Putting on a brave face: The pretty brunette made her way home to Lima, Ohio from New York shortly after her flatmate, Kurt, who held tightly onto her hand as he took her to see Finn's memorial outside his locker

Putting on a brave face: The pretty brunette made her way home to Lima, Ohio from New York shortly after her flatmate, Kurt, who held tightly onto her hand as he took her to see Finn's memorial outside his locker

Too close for comfort: Viewers were also brought to tears as Rachel, who is of course played by Cory Monteith's real-life girlfriend, Lea Michele, brought her very real heartbreak to the screen

Too close for comfort: Viewers were also brought to tears as Rachel, who is of course played by Cory Monteith's real-life girlfriend, Lea Michele, brought her very real heartbreak to the screen

Lost love: The heartbroken teenager broke down as she told Mr Schue she was afraid of forgetting Finn's voice

Lost love: The heartbroken teenager broke down as she told Mr Schue she was afraid of forgetting Finn's voice

'I like to sing in the car and before Finn I used to sing alone. This was the first song that I sang with him when we would drive around together. So this is for him.'

Accompanied by a piano, she broke into Bob Dylan's Make You Feel My Love -  made famous by Adele - as the rest of the club clung onto each other, shaking and crying.

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she struggled to finish the song. 

Laughing through the pain: The pair managed to share a much-needed laugh as Rachel produced a plaque she'd had made in her on-off boyfriend's honour

Laughing through the pain: The pair managed to share a much-needed laugh as Rachel produced a plaque she'd had made in her on-off boyfriend's honour

Gone but not forgotten: Mr Schue proudly hung the tribute up on the wall in the choir room

Gone but not forgotten: Mr Schue proudly hung the tribute up on the wall in the choir room

'He was smart, just in an untraditional way': As the camera panned onto the plaque, viewers saw the quote Rachel and Will were laughing over: 'The show must go... all over the place... or something'

'He was smart, just in an untraditional way': As the camera panned onto the plaque, viewers saw the quote Rachel and Will were laughing over: 'The show must go... all over the place... or something'

Her character later talks to Glee club director Mr Schue (Matthew Morrison) and tells him he's been a 'rock', in the hour-long tribute episode, titled simply 'The Quarterback'.

'I'm really not OK,' Mr Schue tells her. 'But I'm OK. More importantly, how are you?'

'I've no idea,' says the budding performer, who last season moved to New York to take up a coveted spot at NYADA - the New York Academy of the Performing Arts. 'I talk to him a lot. I can still see his face.

'I can hear his voice so clearly. Do you think that I'll ever forget it? Because I'm afraid that one day I will,' she says sadly.

A mother's heartbreak: Finn's mom, Carole, was inconsolable as she tried to sort through her son's possessions, three weeks after his death, the cause of which was never disclosed

A mother's heartbreak: Finn's mom, Carole, was inconsolable as she tried to sort through her son's possessions, three weeks after his death, the cause of which was never disclosed

Not afraid to cry: His step-father, Burt Hummel - Kurt's dad - also shed a tear as he reminisced about the kindhearted football player who embraced his openly gay son without judgement

Not afraid to cry: His step-father, Burt Hummel - Kurt's dad - also shed a tear as he reminisced about the kindhearted football player who embraced his openly gay son without judgement

She adds: 'I had it all planned out. I was going to make it big on Broadway and maybe do a Woody Allen movie and then, when we were ready, I would just come back and he'd be teaching here and I'd walk through those doors and say, "I'm home". And then we'd live happily ever after. I didn't have to [tell him]. He knew.'

'Now what?' asked Mr Schuester.

'I don't know, something different,' Rachel said. 

'Something better?'

'I don't think that's possible - he was my person,' she said. 

Brotherly bond: Kurt Hummel, played by Chris Colfer, returned home to Ohio from New York for the tribute to his step-brother, taking solace in his letterman jacket, which he said made Finn look like 'Superman'

Brotherly bond: Kurt Hummel, played by Chris Colfer, returned home to Ohio from New York for the tribute to his step-brother, taking solace in his letterman jacket, which he said made Finn look like 'Superman'

Bottling his grief: Kurt was clearly saddened as he went through Finn's belongings, but sat with a stoney expression on his face as his fellow Glee clubers channelled their grief into song

Bottling his grief: Kurt was clearly saddened as he went through Finn's belongings, but sat with a stoney expression on his face as his fellow Glee clubers channelled their grief into song

She then unveiled a photo of Finn, with the dates 1994-2013 under it.

A quotation from him read: 'The show must go… all over the place… or something.'

'Did he really say that?' asked Mr Schue.

'He was smart, just in an untraditional way,' Rachel said, laughing.

Executive producer Ryan Murphy has told how hard it was for the cast - many of whom came back for the episode - to film the tribute.

'I've never seen a crew that can't continue shooting because they've left the room sobbing,' he said of the experience. 

Touching tribute: Mercedes (Amber Riley) was the first to sing her tribute to her friend, soldiering on through an amazing rendition of The Pretenders' I'll Stand By You

Touching tribute: Mercedes (Amber Riley) was the first to sing her tribute to her friend, soldiering on through an amazing rendition of The Pretenders' I'll Stand By You

Powerhouse: The Grief-stricken Glee clue member was able to give a perfect performance as she held back her tears

Powerhouse: The Grief-stricken Glee clue member was able to give a perfect performance as she held back her tears

The episode opened with the cast singing Seasons Of Love from hit musical Rent, dressed as if they were going to a funeral, before a photo of Finn flashed up on the screen.

It showed the star quarterback posing in his McKinley High football jersey, with his helmet under his arm.

'Three weeks to the day since his funeral and it's the first time I've even had the courage to look at the suit I wore to it,' said Chris Colfer's Kurt Hummel.

The cast were set to head back to the school in Lima, Ohio for a special tribute planned by Mr Schuester.

The real culprit: After his wife, Emma Pillsbury, voiced her concern that Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) hadn't yet shed a tear for his friend, the Glee club leader headed home with Finn's missing letterman jacket in his briefcase

The real culprit: After his wife, Emma Pillsbury, voiced her concern that Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) hadn't yet shed a tear for his friend, the Glee club leader headed home with Finn's missing letterman jacket in his briefcase

Breaking down at last: The Glee club leader finally allowed himself to express his grief as he cried inconsolably into Finn's jacket

Breaking down at last: The Glee club leader finally allowed himself to express his grief as he cried inconsolably into Finn's jacket

Opening the floodgates: 'I feel more than I know how to express,' Will previously told his wife before giving in to his feelings

Opening the floodgates: 'I feel more than I know how to express,' Will previously told his wife before giving in to his feelings

A shoulder to cry on: Emma (Jayma Mays) gave her husband a heartwarming hug after failing to give any sound advice to the kids at school in her role as guidance counsellor

A shoulder to cry on: Emma (Jayma Mays) gave her husband a heartwarming hug after failing to give any sound advice to the kids at school in her role as guidance counsellor

'What can you say about a 19-year-old who died? Everyone wants to talk about how he died, too, but who cares?' says Kurt, Finn's stepbrother in the show.

'One moment in his whole life; I care more about how he lived. I'm going to spend my entire life missing him.'

Will addressed the Glee club - Finn's closest friends - saying: 'The funeral was for everyone, but I wanted to do something for us, to memorialise him the only way we know how: by singing,'

Mercedes Jones, played by Amber Riley, said she had to start singing to stop crying.

Reached her limit: The usually stoic young singer screamed as she became overcome with emotion, before running out of the choir room

Reached her limit: The usually stoic young singer screamed as she became overcome with emotion, before running out of the choir room

Heartbreaking: Santana (Naya Rivera) was particularly struggling with Finn's death, battling through a rendition of If I Die Young by The Band Perry before breaking down before the last verse

Heartbreaking: Santana (Naya Rivera) was particularly struggling with Finn's death, battling through a rendition of If I Die Young by The Band Perry before breaking down before the last verse

That's what friends are for: Unable to hide her emotion, the teenager fled from her friends, whom she feared would judge her

That's what friends are for: Unable to hide her emotion, the teenager fled from her friends, whom she feared would judge her

'He was the first cool kid to be nice to any of us. He was our leader in here,' she said as she sang The Pretenders' I'll Stand By You.

It later emerged that someone had vandalised the memorial tree to Finn - tying it to a motorbike and dragging it out of the ground. 

'Grief can make us to do very strange things,' said interim principal Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch, as the camera panned to reveal Noah 'Puck' Puckerman (Mark Salling) sitting with it in his bedroom.

Viewers saw Finn's bereaved mother and stepfather struggle to come to terms with their loss as they made a start on clearing out his room.

Opening up: Kurt tracked her down to the auditorium, where she revealed she had written a list of all the times Finn had been nice to her that she would always remember

Opening up: Kurt tracked her down to the auditorium, where she revealed she had written a list of all the times Finn had been nice to her that she would always remember

Showing his support: Kurt wrapped his friend, whom he lives with along with Rachel in New York, in Finn's letterman jacket as she asked to be left alone

Showing his support: Kurt wrapped his friend, whom he lives with along with Rachel in New York, in Finn's letterman jacket as she asked to be left alone

'I should have hugged him more,' said his heartbroken stepdad, Burt Hummel. 'Now he's gone.'

Kurt asked for his brother's school football letterman jacket as a keepsake, which he said made him think Finn was like 'Superman' when he wore it.

As the three broke down and embraced, mum Carole said she now knew how hard it was to be the parent of a dead child. 

'You have to keep on being a parent even though you don't get to have a child anymore.'

Puck later tried to get the jacket from Kurt, afraid the openly gay character would add jewellery to it.

'I'm not going to let you bedazzle it,' said Puck.

But Kurt insisted on hanging onto it.

Back to his bad-boy ways: Puck (Mark Salling) pulled down the tree erected in Finn's honour as he said it wasn't big enough, later seen with the plant in his bedroom

Back to his bad-boy ways: Puck (Mark Salling) pulled down the tree erected in Finn's honour as he said it wasn't big enough, later seen with the plant in his bedroom

Caught in the act! The bad boy definitely appeared to be struggling to come to terms with the loss of his one-time best friend

Caught in the act! The bad boy definitely appeared to be struggling to come to terms with the loss of his one-time best friend

Finding comfort in each other: Puck turned up to school drunk and was confronted by Coach Beiste as he shed a tear over his friend

Finding comfort in each other: Puck turned up to school drunk and was confronted by Coach Beiste as he shed a tear over his friend

Later, Artie Abrams - played by Kevin McHale - and Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) dueted on Fire And Rain by James Taylor as other members of the Glee club joined in, though it was too much for Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), who stepped out into the corridor to get some air, walking towards a Finn shrine outside his locker.

'I had to get out of there,' she said as cheerleaders extinguished the shrine's candles on the orders of Principal Sylvester.

'You have no right to take down that memorial,' Santana shouted at the teacher, before branding her a 'cold-hearted b****'.

'I don't give a hot wet monkey's a** what you care for,' the former student told her. 'I have hated you since the day I met you. Don't you dare think that [Finn] didn't hate you, too.'

Coming together: The episode opened with old and new members of the Glee club singing Seasons Of Love from the musical rent dressed in all black

Coming together: The episode opened with old and new members of the Glee club singing Seasons Of Love from the musical rent dressed in all black

Gone but not forgotten: At the end of the song, they all turned to face a projected image of the high school quarterback

Gone but not forgotten: At the end of the song, they all turned to face a projected image of the high school quarterback

As Sylvester ordered her secretary to call the police, Santana shoved her, saying: 'This is assault!'

Meanwhile, Will opened up to his wife, guidance counsellor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), who voices her concern that he's yet to shed a tear over Finn's death.

'Of course I feel something, Emma. I feel more than I know how to express,'  he said.

Also struggling with the death of his one-time best friend was Puck, who had a showdown with football coach Shannon Beiste when he turned up drunk in her locker room.

'I get needing something to get through the first few days, but it's been a month,' she told him.

'No-one understands,' Puck shouted, before slamming into a locker and overturning a cart. 

'If I start crying I don't think I'll ever stop!'

Fist fight! A bereaved Santana got into a heated altercation with interim principal Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) after she had the memorial for Finn dismantled by her cheerleader minions

Fist fight! A bereaved Santana got into a heated altercation with interim principal Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) after she had the memorial for Finn dismantled by her cheerleader minions

Full of regrets: The feisty brunette later apologised to Sue, who in tern revealed her immense regret at not telling Finn how much she liked and admired him

Full of regrets: The feisty brunette later apologised to Sue, who in turn revealed her immense regret at not telling Finn how much she liked and admired him

As he burst into tears, she embraced him.

'He's dead, and all we've got left is his voice in our head. I'm sorry but it's time you've got to be your own quarterback,' she told him as he said that he wanted to frame his letterman jacket and retire Finn's number so future generations could see it.

She agreed - on the condition he return the tree.

'It was a garbage tree. It wasn't big enough,' he said. 

'They grow, you know,' she told him.

Santana later sang If I Die Young by country group The Band Perry - which she dedicated to 'Squishy Teats' - one of her nicknames for Finn, who she said she believed was in heaven with his new friend, 'Fat Elvis'.

The truth hurts: The mean-spirited former coach was forced to admit he feelings for the teenager, telling Santana, 'I'm utterly destroyed he died thinking I didn't like him'

The truth hurts: The mean-spirited former coach was forced to admit he feelings for the teenager, telling Santana, 'I'm utterly destroyed he died thinking I didn't like him'

There's no stopping her: Former principal Figgins, who is now the janitor, admitted he was powerless to stop Sue as she set about removing the shrine

There's no stopping her: Former principal Figgins, who is now the janitor, admitted he was powerless to stop Sue as she set about removing the shrine

She barely made it through the song without crying and finally broke down and ran from the room screaming in a heart-wrenching scene.

She was later seen sitting alone in the auditorium when Kurt came to find her. The self-confessed b**** told how she had written down lots of nice things to say about Finn - but says she was embarrassed to read them out in case anyone thought she was kind. 

'He was a much better person than me,' she said. 

She asked Kurt to leave, and he draped Finn's letterman jacket around her shoulders to comfort her.

Puck was then seen strumming on a guitar and singing Bruce Springsteen's No Surrender as he looked at the empty chair where Finn once sat. 

'I love you guys,' he told the others as they embraced him.

Getting through to him: Puck and Beiste later bonded as the teen replanted the tree for Finn

Getting through to him: Puck and Beiste later bonded as the teen replanted the tree for Finn

Proud as punch: Shannon smiles with a glint in her eye as she examines the tree, which Puck has inscribed the word 'Quarterback' on as he rides off into the sunset after revealing his plans to join the air force

Proud as punch: Shannon smiles with a glint in her eye as she examines the tree, which Puck has inscribed the word 'Quarterback' on as he rides off into the sunset after revealing his plans to join the air force

Sweet touch: Puck's final act of vandalism was overlooked by the football coach, who was happy that the troubled teen had finally come to terms with his loss

Sweet touch: Puck's final act of vandalism was overlooked by the football coach, who was happy that the troubled teen had finally come to terms with his loss

But the love was short lived - as Santana burst in and demanded to know what he had done with the jacket Kurt had given her.

'I went for a lie down, and when I woke up from my grief siesta, it was gone,' she yelled at him. 

'I didn't take Finn's jacket!' he insisted. 

Later, Santana went to apologise to Sue Sylvester.

'Everything you said, it was absolutely right,' the usually stone-cold former cheerleading coach confessed. 'I was horrible to that kid [Finn]. And I'm utterly destroyed he died thinking I didn't like him.

'He was such a good guy, and I'll never get to tell him.'

Tearing up in a rare show of emotion, she said: 'He would have made an excellent teacher. It's just so pointless. All that potential.'

Locker lover: Tributes for the beloved star athlete had been posted all over his former locker as the students coped with the tragic loss

Locker lover: Tributes for the beloved star athlete had been posted all over his former locker as the students coped with the tragic loss

Hallway memorial: Sue Sylvester sent her faithful cheerleaders to pull down the tributes after saying one week was enough to grieve

Hallway memorial: Sue Sylvester sent her faithful cheerleaders to pull down the tributes after saying one week was enough to grieve

Santana later puts up fliers offering a $10,000 reward for the return of the missing jacket - saying it's not a reward, it's bait and she's going to 'kick the crap' out of whoever returns it, before embracing Mr Schue.

Puck later replanted the tree under the watchful eye of Coach Beiste. 

'I'm going to make a man of myself,' he told her as he revealed his plans to join the US Air Force.

'Maybe I could be a Top Gun.

'If Finn was still around, I'd keep letting him point me in the right direction.'

'Just don't get shot,' Coach tells him as he walks off and jumps on his motorbike and she inspects the tree, on which Puck has carved the word 'Quarterback'.

As he returned home alone, viewers saw Mr Schue take the letterman jacket out of his briefcase and clutch it in front of his face.

Tearful reunion: Santana comforts Sam, played by Chord Overstreet, as Finn's friends come together to grieve at school following his funeral

Tearful reunion: Santana comforts Sam, played by Chord Overstreet, as Finn's friends come together to grieve at school following his funeral

Brothers for life: Kurt fondly recalls his step-brother as he looks through his belongings, finding their graduation photo

Brothers for life: Kurt fondly recalls his step-brother as he looks through his belongings, finding their graduation photo

When Emma returned shortly afterwards, he was weeping uncontrollably with his head buried in the garment.

The show ended with the words 'Cory Monteith 1982 - 2013' flashed on the screen, before it faded to black and was replaced by a link to the iTunes store so fans could buy the episode. 

Proceeds from online music sales will benefit Project Limelight, a Canadian theatre camp Monteith supported, according to reports.

Then castmembers urged anyone troubled by drugs to get help.

Not cracking: Kurt remains strong and stoic as his friends - including ex-boyfriend Blaine (Darren Criss) - break down

Not cracking: Kurt remains strong and stoic as his friends - including ex-boyfriend Blaine (Darren Criss) - break down

Shellshocked: The episode picked up three weeks after Finn's death, as the former classmates came together to remember their friend

Shellshocked: The episode picked up three weeks after Finn's death, as the former classmates came together to remember their friend

'Our friend Cory didn't look or act like an addict. He was happy, successful and seemingly had it all,' said Jane Lynch.

'Addiction is a serious disease that can hide in plain sight. But no-one needs to fight it alone,' said Matthew Morrison.

The fifth season of Glee returns to US screens on November 7.

Glee: Season 5 is showing in the UK on Fridays at 8pm on Sky 1 HD, Glee: Season 4 is out on Blu-ray and DVD Now

Real emotion: The stars of the hit show filmed the tribute just weeks after the popular actor's real-life death, the pain of which was evident

Real emotion: The stars of the hit show filmed the tribute just weeks after the popular actor's real-life death, the pain of which was evident

Handling it in their own way: While Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) shed a tear as the Glee club remembered their friend, she later told Emma that she was sick of wearing black as it was the 'old Tina' she had worked so hard to move on from

Handling it in their own way: While Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) shed a tear as the Glee club remembered their friend, she later told Emma that she was sick of wearing black as it was the 'old Tina' she had worked so hard to move on from

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Lea is so strong and I have so much respect for her for being able to carry on despite the trauma she's been through.

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They should have said he died of the exact thing he died from in real life and highlighted the dangers.

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You won't be able to forget his voice will you? Because you're lucky enough to be able to watch and hear him whenever you like. Be grateful for that. Some people don't have that luxury.

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Give him some dignity and individuality... he isn't his character!? what a terrible idea... it's called exploitation.

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They weren't a couple in real life. They were faking it for publicity and ratings but now that he's dead they can't "break up" and she has to go on pretending he was the love of her life. I'm sure she's sad her friend died but they were as real a couple as "Robsten".

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Somehow, she has made it all about her

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When my Gran died I turned to music to help me through it, I think this tribute is fitting as all their emotions are played out through music and they always have been! To look at Cory you would never think he had any kind of problem so it makes his death all the more shocking. To publicise the perils of drug use via a popular tv show that shows real grief even if it is in a fictional setting will hopefully send a stronger message out to the young that as unexpected as it was it has happened and there are consequences and repercussions for many people. Well done to the cast!

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Just feel that The Mail should reconsider advertising policy, disappointed to see a 'buy Lea Michelles Peter Pan collar dress!' popping up over what was an obviously distressed woman who has suffered enormous loss......Tactless? I think so......

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That's so weird to watch, they're acting

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i am sorry this man died, but he killed himself because he was a drug addict addicted to heroin and other narcotics and he is branded a saint, but Treyvon martin tested for smoking weed and automatically people assume he was some sort of criminal...AmeriKKKa

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