Art may be imitating life on Glee — with the passing of protagonist Finn Hudson in the wake of leading man Cory Monteith‘s death last month — but executive producer Ryan Murphy says it won’t be an exact replica.

“At one point, we were going to have his character die after an accidental drug overdose — that was something we had considered,” Murphy revealed in an interview with Deadline. “But we have decided that we’re not going to have him pass from that.”

RELATED | Fox Boss Announces Likely Glee End Date

In fact, viewers may never learn the exact circumstances of Finn’s death, the showrunner added. “How somebody died is interesting and maybe morbid,” Murphy continued, “but we say very early on in the episode, ‘This episode is about a celebration of that character’s life.’ That might be weird for some people, but it felt really exploitative to do it any other way.”

VIDEO | Lea Michele Remembers Cory Monteith: ‘He Became a Part of All Our Hearts’

Murphy added that Glee‘s “cast and crew have had solace in being together” shooting Season 5’s pair of Beatles-themed installments, but “the really difficult thing” — filming the Finn tribute — will begin this week. “I think [the script] turned out to be a lovely tribute, and it’s a very heartfelt look at how some people grieve,” he added. “We’re trying to craft an episode that’s not just about us grieving but about a lot of the young fans grieving.”

What do you think of Murphy’s revelations about the Finn tribute? Are you relieved the character won’t die from a drug overdose, or do you think that option could have provided a teachable moment for viewers? Sound off below.