The 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 22nd at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles was an unforgettable night, especially in the In Memoriam segment this year.
Close friends and costars of five former stars took the stage to share emotional and personal memories of their loved ones throughout the show.
Us Weekly reported that the five stars who received special recognition were actor Cory Monteith (remembered by "Glee" co-star Jane Lynch), actor James Gandolfini (remembered by "Sopranos" co-star Edie Falco), producer Gary David Goldberg (remembered by "Family Ties" star Michael J. Fox), actress Jean Stapleton (remembered by "All in the Family" co-star Rob Reiner) and actor Jonathan Winters (remembered by "Mork and Mindy" co-star Robin Williams).
"Glee" star Cory Monteith passed away on July 13th at age 31, following an accidental overdose of heroin and alcohol. Jane Lynch, who plays Coach Sue Sylvester on the FOX hit series, spoke about her late co-star to the crowd.
She said, "It is remarkable, and perhaps a little curious, how quickly television shows become like families. This summer on our show 'Glee' we suffered a painful death in our family: Cory Monteith played Finn Hudson, a star quarterback turned wide-eyed, heartfelt glee singer."
She added, "And from the first time you saw Cory he had a star quality and a general sweetness that made it impossible not to fall in love with him . . . and millions did fall in love with Cory. And I'm here to say that all that warmth and that charm, that open-hearted quality that we loved in Cory was no act."
"Cory was a beautiful soul. He was not perfect, which many of us here tonight can relate to. His death is a tragic reminder of the rapacious, senseless destruction that is brought on by addiction."
She went on to say, "Tonight, we remember Cory for all he was and mourn the loss for all he could have been. To a generation that loved Cory so, please know, this gifted and wonderful young man was worthy of your love.
"And, if you were lucky enough to know Cory as we did, and witness firsthand Cory's goofy, breezy sense of humor, his natural instinct for inclusiveness and his unbridled sense of generosity day in and day out, I promise, you'd have loved him even more."
This year's host Neil Patrick Harris previously told Access Hollywood why he decided to change the In Memoriam segment.
He revealed, "I always find the In Memoriam is just really interesting because sometimes it seems weird that they keep the audio on in the house, so some people get applause and some people don't, and it turns it into this weird moment."
Harris continued, "And you want that moment to be honoring those people, and not a competition."
"We've come up with this idea -- five different people that we chose sort of from different areas of television are being spoken about by people who were important to them."
He explained, "[They'll speak about them] not in a pitying way, but I think in a respectful, classy way that will make you remember their life in a positive, forward-momentum kind of style."
Did you catch Cory Monteith's In Memoriam segment of the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards? What did you think? Leave us a comment of your thoughts below.