Glee became a huge hit for Fox almost immediately after it debuted in 2009, and a big part of the draw was the goofily charming Cory Monteith in the role of Finn Hudson. Monteith tragically passed away a few years ago, and Glee aired a heartbreaking tribute to Finn as a way to say goodbye to Monteith. Although the show came to an end in 2015, his former castmates have not forgotten him, and they found some touching ways to celebrate his life on the anniversary of his death on July 13.
The cause of death for Finn on Glee was never specified, but Cory Monteith passed away due to a drug overdose in 2013. He had been in a relationship with Glee leading lady Lea Michele, whose character Rachel Berry was Finn's primary love interest throughout the series. Michele has been plucking at our heartstrings with her remembrances of Monteith ever since she emotionally dedicated a Teen Choice Award to him shortly after his death. She took to Twitter on July 13 to share a photo of Monteith that has since been retweeted nearly 60,000 times.
Matthew Morrison played Glee club moderator Will Schuester, who closely mentored Finn through his high school years and even after graduation. Morrison and Cory Monteith shared an awful lot of screentime during their time on the series, and Morrison too used his Twitter account to remember the young man who had clearly become family to him.
Kevin McHale played the wheelchair-bound Artie Abrams, who was one of the original six members of McKinley High School's New Directions and shared his share of scenes and songs with Finn. McHale used the hashtag #3YearsWithoutCory to post a message and a GIF commemorating his time with Cory Monteith.
Jenna Ushkowitz played Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee, who was another of the original six members of New Direction. She chose to use her Instagram to share a happy picture of Cory Monteith on the drums, also using a #3yearswithoutcory tag.
Harry Shum played Mike Chang, who was a football player who happened to have a mean dancing streak. Mike and Finn were always a fun duo to watch on screen together just based on their different approaches to dance and performance. Shum had a goofy picture and some warm words for Cory Monteith on the anniversary of his death.
Heather Morris played dim-witted but mostly well-meaning cheerleader Brittany Pierce on Glee. She was as good a dancer as Finn was bad, and they were always fun on screen together. Morris used her Instagram to tell the story of how she learned of Cory Monteith's death and post a photo that's definitely worth a smile.
Chord Overstreet joined Glee in the beginning of Season 2 as Sam Evans, who ended up spending time with Finn both on the football field and on the stage to sing. Overstreet posted a picture of himself with Monteith in his social media tribute to his friend.
Cory Monteith's passing is no less tragic in 2016 than it was in 2013, but the loving messages from his friends and former Glee castmates make it easy to celebrate his life rather than mourn his death. Glee never would have been the hit that it was if Monteith hadn't been on board to help launch the series in 2009, and he'll always be a good reason to rewatch a few episodes here and there.
