‘Glee’ Season 5: How Will Finn Die? Creator Ryan Murphy Explains

Ryan opens up about the 'heartfelt' Cory Monteith tribute episode and admits he considered killing Finn via drug overdose. Glee's entire cast and crew was hit hard by Cory Monteith's sudden death, but now, Ryan Murphy and his creative team have the difficult task of crafting a highly anticipated memorial episode -- one that provides appropriate closure for both Cory and his on-screen persona, Finn Hudson. "There were a lot of things that we had to decide," Ryan tells HollywoodLife.com's sister site Deadline in a new interview. "How are we going to deal with his death?"

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Finn’s Death: Will He Suffer A Drug Overdose, Like Cory Monteith?

Thankfully, no, although it was a possibility at one point.

“We were going to have his character die after an accidental drug overdose,” Ryan admits. “That was something we had considered. But we have decided that we’re not going to have him pass from that. Basically, what we’re doing in the episode is we are not telling you yet, or maybe not at all, how that character died.”

Though Ryan admits the idea of exploring why someone died is “interesting and maybe morbid,” he believes it’s important: “We say very early on in the episode, ‘This episode is about a celebration of that character’s life.’ That might be weird for some people, but it felt really exploitative to do it any other way.”

‘Glee’ Cast & Crew Taking Well-Deserved Break

“We start shooting the memorial episode this week,” Ryan says, following the two Beatles episodes which he calls “fun and optimistic.”

Sadly, the mood will quickly drop when episode three arrives.

“There’s been tears on set,” Ryan admits. “It’s been hard for a lot of people. … But I think it turned out to be a lovely tribute, and it’s a very heartfelt look at how young people grieve.”

Following production on the Finn/Cory tribute episode, Ryan says the cast and crew will “take two weeks or three weeks” to regroup.

“We loved Cory and we loved Finn, and it feels like a huge loss and a huge heartache not to have either of them around,” he says. “We’re trying to craft an episode that’s not just about us grieving but about a lot of the young fans grieving.”

HollywoodLifers, how do you feel about the plans for Cory/Finn’s tribute episode? Are you OK not knowing how Finn dies? Drop a comment with your take on Ryan’s new interview.

WATCH: Lea Michele’s Speech For Cory Monteith At Teen Choice Awards

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More ‘Glee’ News:

  1. ‘Glee’ Cast Pays Tribute To Cory Monteith At Teen Choice Awards
  2. ‘Glee’ Season 5 Scoop: Adam Lambert’s Villainous Role Revealed
  3. Lea Michele Posts Sad Picture On ‘Glee’ Set: ‘Feels So Good To Be Home’