Even though Lea Michele is no one’s favorite person, there are times when any recovering Glee fan takes notice.
For all of the things that Lea is, she was in love with the late Cory Monteith when he tragically passed away.
Over the years, she has made various public and private tributes to her former castmate and dearly departed love.
This time, Lea is honoring Cory with a song that she performed on Glee — with a very special significance.
Lea Michele is currently on tour for An Evening With Lea Michele: Life In Music.
While there are a lot of obvious jokes to make at Lea’s expense, and while she does deserve that, Cory Monteith does not.
On July 20, the first show of her tour included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
Many people have done their absolute best to forget anything and everything from Glee.
But we do recall how Rachel Berry, the character whom Lea played for the duration of the series, sang that exact song.
Even on the show, it was a tribute to Finn Hudson … who was, in turn, played by Cory Monteith.
It’s not just any song, either.
At the time, when millions were mourning Cory after his tragic passing, Ryan Murphy approached Lea with a choice.
The creator of Glee invited her to choose which song her character would sing. It was a major decision.
Lea and Cory had listened to the song together, multiple times, during their relationship.
The heavy episode was a tribute to Cory, through the lens of being a tribute to Finn.
Understandably, Lea has never personally watched the episode. That makes a lot of sense.
Lea has shared tributes like this for years, usually while marking the anniversary of his 2013 passing.
He died of a tragic overdose. He was only 31 years old.
Though Cory’s career included numerous roles, including Smallville and Stargate SG-1, the world knows him best for his time on Glee.
Glee’s target audience was a decidedly younger crowd — even those of us who were adults at the time knew that.
As a result, the shock to fans was even greater than it would have been for other demographics.
For many viewers, this was the first time that a lead on a show that they were watching had passed away. The grief was real.
Cory is of course not the only member of the cast to die a tragic death.
Naya’s passing was more recent, and the horror of it was compounded by the fact that she was a mother.
While Mark Salling’s death received fewer mourners, people do consider it to be part of a “Glee curse.”
Speaking of cursed things related to Glee, Lea is one of those actors with a reputation for … difficulty.
Former castmates have spoken out — some breaking a decade of silence or more — about how toxic, cruel, and racist she was.
Many people do not like Lea. Even so, paying tribute to Cory’s memory is something that brings us all together.
