The Wedding that Never Was: Glee Couple Was About to Marry But Death Stole Cory Monteith from Lea Michele (VIDEOS & PHOTOS)

Toward the end of season 3 of Glee, Finn Hudson proposed marriage to his girlfriend Rachel Berry, but the wedding plans fizzled out when Finn decided to set Rachel free to pursue her dream of becoming a famous artist.

In real life, the same scenario just happened to the actors who played Finn and Rachel when Cory Monteith, who played Finn, died of alcohol and heroin overdose on Saturday, July 13.

The grandfather of Lea, who portrays Rachel, disclosed on Thursday that the real-life sweethearts had really planned to walk the aisle. Even if the couple admitted to the public in 2012 that they are in a relationship, they did not confirm speculations that they were engaged the same year.

"They were about to be married," Albert Sarfati, the grandfather of Lea, confirmed to Star magazine.

That explains why the 26-year-old actress has been given the role that a widow normally plays - that is to plan the funeral of her spouse. Reports said that Lea has taken over from Ann Monteith, Cory's grieving mother, the role of organising the memorial service.

Cory's body, according to reports, had been cremated after the autopsy by the BC Coroner confirmed the cause of the 31-year-old actor's demise. The Vancouver police claimed they detected the presence of fentanyl, used for treating cancer-related pain, in the actor's body.

The actor's body was said to be released to his mother on Tuesday and he was cremated on Wednesday. Prior to the cremation, the actor's mother and brother and Lea had a private viewing and farewell in Vancouver, but Cory's father Joe - who is divorced from Ann - was not invited to the rite. He was only informed of the event after the cremation.

Speaking to TMZ, Joe said, "I always loved both my sons and am going to miss Cory very, very much. I'm saddened at the fact that I couldn't have been there to see my son before he was cremated.

Meanwhile, fellow Glee stars continued to share their thoughts on the death of the actor, amid reports that the hit Fox TV series will air in September its fifth season despite the death of a main cast member.

Dianna Agron, Cory's occasional girlfriend in Glee as Quinn, said in a statement, "I have never lost a friend. In this difficult time, I am leaning on all of the wonderful memories we shared with Cory, how many ways he was able to make us smile."

Jane Lynch, who portrays the Cheerios coach Sue Sylvester and hates the Glee Club, had this to say about Cory.

With the unexpected turn of events, Lea now has memories of wearing an elegant wedding gown, but she never got to walk the aisle into the hands of her beloved Cory.