Watch 'Glee's Quiet Tribute to Corey Monteith

Since Cory Monteith died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol in July, we've learned plenty about how Glee plans to pay tribute to the late actor, who gained fame for playing lovable jock Finn Hudson. But we didn't hear that the FOX series had planned to toast Monteith before its fifth season even premieres Sept. 26.

Creator Ryan Murphy may have been loud in recent weeks about Glee's plans to kill off Monteith with a drug-related theme (though, it's not clear whether Finn himself will die of an overdose), but Glee very quietly saluted Monteith in a memorial card that aired prior to a rerun on Thursday night. Airing scenes from Monteith's four seasons on the series, the 10-second clip faded to black before the words, "Cory Monteith, Forever In Our Hearts," appeared on screen. See the clip below.

Though we have yet to learn exactly how Finn will leave McKinley High, we have learned that Glee is not long for our televisions — Murphy said Thursday that he can't imagine the hit musical series lasting beyond its sixth season, which was already announced before Monteith's death. Whether or not Monteith's passing affected that timetable is unknown, but based on the memorial card, and Darren Criss' words on Conan last night ("We're picking up the pieces now"), it's clear the actor's presence will be felt throughout Season 5's entirety.

[Via The Hollywood Reporter ]

Image: FOX