Despite facing backlash earlier this week, the Emmys went ahead and aired its Cory Monteith tribute.
Jane Lynch took the stage Sunday night to remember her Glee co-star, telling the late actors’ fans that he “was worthy” of their love.
“I’m here to say that all that warmth and that charm, that open-hearted quality that we loved in Cory was no act,” she said “Cory was a beautiful soul. He was not perfect, which many of us here tonight can relate to.”
“His death is a reminder of the rapacious and senseless destruction that is brought on by addiction,” Lynch continued. “We remember Cory for all he was and mourn the loss of all he could have been.”
The Canadian actor died of a heroin overdose on July 13. He was 31.
Emmys producers were hit with criticism from Adam Klugman — the son of late actor Jack Klugman — before the ceremony after the academy chose to include Monteith in their in memoriam segment over The Odd Couple star, who passed away earlier this year.
“I think it’s criminal,” Klugman said of the snub. “It’s an insult and it really seems typical of this youth-centric culture that has an extremely short attention span and panders to only a very narrow demographic.”
“I don’t mean to say anything disparaging about Cory, but he was a kid who had won no Emmys and it was a self-induced tragedy.”
Other late stars who were also honored during the awards include The Sopranos‘ James Gandolfini, producer Gary David Goldberg, Jean Stapleton and actor-comedian Jonathan Winters.
