When Glee grew to become the must-see TV present in 2009, Naya Rivera’s Santana Lopez shortly grew to become one of the beloved characters of the high-school musical dramedy. Although she was initially meant to be a minor antagonist with a pointy tongue and salacious strategies, Rivera’s vibrant character, hilarious one-liners, and plain vocal energy shot her to sequence common by season two. She was casually merciless in a method that was each terrifying and endearing, solely due to Rivera’s capability to carry out her vulnerability by her defensiveness.

Santana’s nuanced exploration of her sexuality resonated with many viewers and her relationship with Heather Morris’s Brittany S. Pierce (the supply of a number of heartbreakingly beautiful covers from Rivera) grew to become one of many present’s focal plots all through the sequence. They flirted, fell in love, got here out to their dad and mom, and finally acquired married. And whereas the “Brittana” love story was an enormous a part of Santana’s journey, her sojourn from closeted highschool imply woman to an out-and-proud artist was superbly fleshed out by Rivera’s swish portrayal. Rivera’s function on Glee helped change queer illustration in tv — particularly for Latinas. She sang her method to self-discovery, a life crammed with love, and a legacy as one of the fascinating characters to grace our screens.

In remembrance of Rivera, who died whereas boating along with her 4-year-old son, we’re wanting again at her most extraordinary Glee performances from Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” to Alicia Keys’s “Lady on Fireplace.”