Cory Monteith, Star Of ‘Glee,’ Dead: How Will The Lead Actor’s Death Affect The Show?

The death of Cory Monteith, the lead actor of Fox’s ‘Glee,’ has the show's fans, popularly known as Gleeks, wondering how ‘Glee’ creators would take the show forward.

Monteith, who played the character of Finn Hudson on Glee, was missing in action during the last few episodes of season four, and show creators had altered the storyline to accommodate the actor’s real-life stint at rehab. His last appearance on the show was in April, where Hudson makes the decision to return to McKinley High and teach.

The 31-year-old was expected to resume shooting for the show when production for the fifth season is expected to commence in the next few weeks. But, only days after Monteith’s unexpected death, there have been “zero thoughts or discussions on the direction of the show,” a source close to the production told HollywoodLife.

“There will be a tribute episode, and the season will be dedicated in his honor. Cory will have a never-ending connection to the legacy of the show; it will be handled delicately and with the utmost respect,” the source said, adding that it will take producers some time to figure out how to handle the situation.

Speculations are rife that the show's producers would likely kill Monteith’s character, Hudson, on the show.

According to reports, when John Ritter unexpectedly passed away in 2003, his character on ‘8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter’ was also shown as dead when the series resumed shooting after a two-month break. The show even had a special two-part episode titled ‘Goodbye,’ HollywoodLife reported.

Reporting Monteith’s death on Sunday, a report in Time noted that the actor will leave a big hole in Glee, as his character was “often the heart and emotional anchor of a show that could take dizzying plot twists and roller coaster shifts in tone.”