This past weekend actor Cory Monteith was found dead in a hotel room. According to authorities, he died of a “mixed drug toxicity” of heroin and alcohol – likely as an overdose from intended use.
Perhaps you’re shaking your head. It can be for any number of reasons:
- Cory is “fameish.” Meaning, he’s excessively famous to those who watched his character Finn Hudson emerge on Glee, but not so famous to the average person who has no connection to that show. Maybe you’re not in the loop on who he is or the impact his death may have among students.
- Cory had confessed to drug addiction in his past, and maybe you’re let down that he gave in.
- Cory’s character was the “every man” character on Glee – his audience went with him on the emotional journey of pressures with popularity, dealing with gay friends, finding a voice, being betrayed and more. You already knew the impact it would have on students the moment you saw the headline.
Prediction: This will be *the* funeral/memorial service to be watching.
I don’t mean that as a joke… people will tune in expecting that the music alone will likely be off the chart. That’s a bit short-sighted if that’s someone’s motive, but then again – maybe it’s out of respect. I hope so.
That in itself raises an interesting tension:
Is it healthy to consciously immortalize someone for his or her talent while unconsciously ignoring the rest?
Again, 31-year old Cory Monteith died from a drug-induced catalyst. He was absolutely talented, but absolutely made the wrong decision.
The other matter is most know “Finn Hudson” more than they do “Cory Monteith.” For that reason, most will tune in to mourn for the fictional person’s character… versus the real-life person’s character. Cory struggled with an addiction. Many people do, and again… that’s not my point either. That alone should create brokenness in us for him and others – not judgment.
I’m simply offering that we’re on the verge of seeing many young people (and possibly many adults as well) elevate Cory into a status that he himself would likely squirm out of. It’s something we often do with any funeral. The only difference is most funerals involve mourning someone we know. In this instance, most will mourn the fictional character versus the real individual. A Glee convention already became a makeshift memorial service.
I hope we can all speak into how real this will be for students, even if it’s a bit misguided. Glee has been successful for many reasons, among which is their realization that students no longer just claim ideals from non-fiction truth… they also claim ideals from fictional storylines and characters.
I like what Chris Schaffner pointed out on his blog:
Glee struck a chord with young people… it spoke of the things that no one else would speak about and they did it creatively and honestly. Many in the camp of Christianity wrote off Glee as obviously secular with an agenda but many failed to hear the messages of our youth that were reflected in the show’s storytelling. Weekly, the show masterfully addressed the deepest longing of our kids and one could hear it only they would listen.
What if our youth ministries, what if our churches, what if our faith communities had the magnetic pull that Glee had for so many?
Join me in praying for the family and friends of Cory Monteith… right now.
And then share your thoughts on how we can minister to students through this.