Heartbroken Lea Michele on Cory Monteith’s Death, Tributes and Homage to Late Actor [EXCLUSIVE PICTURES]

Lea Michele has not been seen in public since the tragic death of boyfriend Cory Monteith on July 13. But on Sunday, a sombre Lea Michele was photographed for the first time as she travelled in a friend's car in Los Angeles. The 26-year-old Glee star wore dark sunglasses with her dark hair scraped back while riding in the passenger seat alongside a female friend.

Michele appeared to be donning a silver necklace with the name 'Cory' on it. Lea Michele was spotted in New York City prior to Monteith's death wearing the 'Cory' necklace.

The first photo snapped of Michele in public since the tragedy was also the same day the "Glee" actress broke her silence via Twitter, thanking her fans for their support during the most difficult time of hers.

"Thank you all for helping me through this time with your enormous love & support,' she tweeted. 'Cory will forever be in my heart.' The star posted a photograph of herself and Cory from her private collection alongside her tweet.

The actress, along with her Glee-costars attended a memorial service last week 'to share memories and music in an emotional celebration of the life of Cory', according to reports.

The couple were reportedly planning on officially moving in together after Cory's return from Vancouver. Following Cory's death, Lea helped his mother with heart breaking tasks including organising his cremation and funeral.

In an interview given to Marie Claire, Mexico before Cory's death, Lea openly talks about the happier times with Cory. 'He is the best person I know, he has made my life so incredible, and I am so thankful for him and not only to have him as a partner but also as a co-worker.'

Meanwhile, Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy told Deadline that production will pick up earlier than scheduled in August and will feature a special tribute episode to Cory.

Murphy said the quick return to the set will 'help with the grieving process'

Production will kick off with two Beatles-themed shows already written - and Monteith's character omitted - before reaching the third episode in which the characters will deal with the death of its cherished star.

After that the show will take a 'long hiatus,' invariably to allow the writers to create new story lines without their breakout star.

'I don't know exactly when we will come back, and we are trying out best with this attempt at damage control,' Murphy said.

Meanwhile, a memorial to Cory is reportedly being planned for this year's Emmy Award ceremony in Los Angeles on September 22.

According to Deadline, the ceremony at the Nokia Theatre will contain a homage to Cory.

'Something that reflects an homage [is being planned, but] what the extent of that is, or how we're going to approach it... well, it's too early to tell,' executive producer, Ken Ehrlich, told the Web site.

The actor was found dead in a hotel room allegedly from an overdose of heroin and alcohol while on a visit to his hometown Vancouver, Canada. He and Lea had been dating for more than a year and were said to be inseparable.