That Which We Call A Rose: Don't Stop Believing: A Comment on Cory Monteith

I've been silent for the last month since Cory Monteith's death - which might be surprising to some, considering my relationship with Glee and more significantly its star, Lea Michele. People who know me well, know that I am a huge fan of both the show and her and subsequently, Cory Monteith comes into that support.

It's been a month since we found out about Cory's death and last night at the Teen Choice Awards, Lea made her first public appearance with a beautiful speech thanking her fans and remembering Cory. She won Choice Comedy Actress in a TV Series with the cast of Glee winning 4 awards altogether (Choice Comedy Show, Choice Comedy Actress, Choice Breakout Star - Blake Jenner - and Choice Scene Stealer - Chord Overstreet.) Together with Lea, original Glee club members Kevin McHale (Artie), Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) made grateful and honourable speeches.

Now I personally thought this speech by Lea was outstanding. There are those out there who disagree and still continue to be rude and disgraceful regarding the death of Cory Monteith. I would like to make a few comments in response and in celebration of this wonderful man and his wonderful girlfriend.

Firstly - yes, the circumstances in which Cory died are not at all pleasant. But those who say he had an 'amazing life and threw it away' evidently don't understand Cory Monteith at all. Cory began using drugs when he was 12 years old. He was expelled from many schools and was a Walmart greeter before he turned to acting. He understood the troubles and plight of those less fortunate than him, because he was one of those people. Acting saved him. He took his passion for acting and channelled it into becoming a better person and using his impact as a celebrity to support charities such as Glaad, Project Limelight and Virgin Unite.

Unfortunately, an addiction is still an addiction and some say that he had friends and family who could have helped him. This much is true and they did. They staged an intervention with Ryan Murphy saying after his death that the people who 'loved him were actively involved in trying to get him better' (The Hollywood Reporter, 20/7/13.) But sadly Cory's illness was a disease which overcame him too soon. How people can be so cruel regarding his death is beyond me. A death is still a death - a mother has lost a son, a girlfriend has lost her love and we - his fans - have lost a light.

I agree that his death should not be celebrated but his life certainly should, for all the good he has done and and the pure joy and pleasure he brought to so many lives through his work on Glee. So thank you Cory for 'Jessie's Girl' and 'More than a Woman' and 'Don't Stop Believing' and Finn Hudson.

Now turning to Lea Michele.

I believe that her response to the tragedy has been admirable. She stayed inside for two weeks to have her own private grieving. Then she slowly appeared out with friends, supporting them in important circumstances (Jamie Lynn-Siegler's baby shower, for example) and last night she made her first public appearance at the TCAs. She appeared with grace and class and gratitude for her fans and for her Cory.

I cannot comprehend how some people continue to say she is 'milking' his death or that - disgracefully - the tears in the above speech are 'crocodile tears'. Anyone who has seen Glee knows that Lea can 'cry on demand' and has fully seen her forced tears in action. This speech? This was real, from her heart and her soul. The breathlessness, the attempts to smile, the broken voice - this was a speech of a broken woman, standing strong for her fans.

Both her speech and the speeches of Amber, Kevin and Jenna were supportive of the fans, thankful for the fans and touching to the heart. They were not excessive, they were not over the top and they were not drawing attention to themselves in any way. This death is not about Lea Michele. It's about Cory Monteith, the attention on her is simply a by-product and it is shameful that some cannot see this.

Yes, she is going back to work and being seen in public. People grieve differently. Perhaps for Lea, going back to work - to her routine and to her friends - is the best thing for her. She can't stay inside forever. Maybe she needs to be around people feeling the same things as she. We should be thankful that she is a) looking out for the fans of Glee by continuing the show, b) looking out for the workers on Glee by keeping their jobs and c) not turning to something which could ultimately cause her own death.

I applaud Lea Michele in this time and her castmates for their honour of Cory, their respect for him and their gratitude for fans like me who have stood by them since the day they first appeared in red T-shirts singing Journey.

Cory's death was a tragedy. But the real tragedy is the ignorance of the public who cannot see a woman grieving, a family grieving, a multitude of fans grieving behind the photos, videos and newspaper articles.

We will miss you Cory and we will never stop believing in the power of Glee and the power of music.