Jack Klugman's son said father, not Cory Monteith, should be singled out at Emmy's

The son of the late Jack Klugman, star of "The Odd Couple" and "Quincy, M.E.," said he doesn't understand why late "Glee" actor Cory Monteith will be singled out in a special tribute at Sunday's Emmy Awards and not his father.

Monteith, who died this summer of a drug overdose at the age of 31, will be singled out along with other late actors Jonathan Winters, James Gandolfini's, Jean Stapleton and Gary David Goldberg, in a special tribute separate from the Emmy's traditional "In Memoriam" segment.

Klugman's son, Adam Klugman, said he didn't understand why Monteith, who never won an Emmy, should be singled out over his father, who won three.

"They're celebrating this self-inflicted tragedy instead of celebrating the life of my father, who won three Emmys.... Cory Monteith never won an Emmy."

Adam Klugman said he has nothing against Monteith and is in fact a "Glee" fan, but "to compare the contribution he made to the contribution my father made -- it doesn't compare," he said.

Ken Ehrlich, producer of the Emmys telecast, defended the decision, saying it was important to single out an actor who appeals to a younger generation of television watchers.

"Cory's appeal was to maybe a little different generation than some of the others, and we felt they needed to be represented," Ehrlich said.

"It was important to be responsive to younger viewers, to whom Cory Monteith meant as much as the other four individuals meant to their own generations," Ehrlich said. "There was discussion about the fact that this [special Monteith tribute] probably is going to become an interesting topic of conversation."