‘Glee’ fans bid farewell to Cory Monteith during tribute episode

Thursday night’s episode of “Glee” finally brought an end to quarterback-turned-singer Finn Hudson’s story, as the show paid tribute to actor Cory Monteith, who died over the summer.

The episode drew “Glee’s” highest ratings in a year and brought more than one fan to tears as the cast mourned the character of Finn and the real-life death of Monteith, who died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol at age 31. The episode, titled “The Quarterback,” grew “Glee’s” audience 68% over last week in total viewers, with 7.4 million people tuning in.

“American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks wrote on Twitter, “This is such a touching tribute on Glee. I am bawling.”

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Her tears were shared with “Modern Family” star Sarah Hyland, who wrote, “Cried the entire episode of tonight’s Glee. Beautifully done.”

And “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes was fully prepared to cry when she wrote, “Watching Glee wit my tissues in hand! I hope u all are tuning in & supporting.”

“Super Fun Night” star Rebel Wilson wrote, “My heart went out to all the GLEE family watching the Farewell to Finn tonight x.”

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The show’s cast was also watching and sharing their warm thoughts of Monteith.

Dot-Marie Jones, who plays Coach Beiste on the show wrote, “EVERYBODY ON TONIGHTS EPISODE WAS WONDERFUL! I AM SO PROUD TO BE A PART OF IT BECAUSE ITS ONE HELL OF A FAMILY, FOREVER BE GRATEFUL!”

And Kevin McHale, who plays wheelchair-bound Artie on the show, wrote, “Tonights Glee was made out of a lot of love & a lot of tears by our incredible crew, cast & creators for our friend Cory. We miss you Cory.”

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