'Glee' cast honours Naya Rivera at GLAAD Media Awards
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Gathering on a virtual call, the actors each took a turn sharing memories and praise for Naya Rivera.
Former ‘Glee’ actress Naya Rivera died a sudden death last year and now the show’s cast is paying a tribute to her who played a groundbreaking role on the show. Her character named Santana Lopez came out of the closet as a lesbian which has been praised as a groundbreaking role model for LGBTQ teens and LGBTQ Latinx teens.
To honour the milestone and pay tribute to the late actress, 16 ‘Glee’ cast members gathered virtually as part of GLAAD Media Awards. The organization was a champion of the hit show, honouring it as outstanding comedy series twice in back-to-back ceremonies, in 2010 and 2011. Naya Rivera also hosted the show two times.
At this year’s GLAAD Media Awards, the special segment opened with Demi Lovato who said, "I will always cherish the chance I got to play Naya's girlfriend, Dani, on Glee." Demi Lovato has recently opened up about her sexuality as come out as “pansexual”.
At the awards, Demi Lovato then introduced the Glee cast, which included Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jessalyn Gilsig, Dot-Marie Jones, Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Lauren Potter, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Becca Tobin and Jenna Ushkowitz.
Gathering on a virtual call, the actors each took a turn sharing memories and praise for Rivera.
Naya Rivera died last July when she drowned accidentally and her son was found alone in a boat.