It isn't just Hollywood who is mourning the death of Naya Rivera - it's fans around the world. Hundreds of thousands of tweets have been sent with the hashtag #RIPNayaRivera, with the Glee cast also paying tribute to their beloved co-star, who's most famous role was cheerleader Santana Lopez.
She was loved by her castmates, who then became her friends thanks to her sparkling personality and talent. 'Naya made me laugh like no one else on that set,' Darren Criss, who played Blaine Anderson, wrote on Twitter. 'I always said it while we were working together and I’ve maintained it ever since. Her playful, wicked sense of humour never ceased to bring a smile to my face. She played by her own rules and was in a class of her own. She had a brashness about her that I couldn’t help but be enchanted by. I also always loved her voice, and savored every chance I got to hear her sing. I think she had more talent than we would have ever been able to see.'
Kevin McHale, who played Artie Abrams in the series and was a close friend, added: 'I’m thankful she became like family. I’m thankful that my dad happened to have met her years before I did and when I got Glee, he told me to “look out for a girl named Naya because she seemed nice.” Well dad, she was nice and she became one of my favorite people ever.'
Aside from people who knew her personally, people will be mourning Naya in numerous different ways. On a very basic level, even those who weren't avid watchers of Glee are easily able to see just how charismatic and talented she was. It's a tragic story. Naya was 33, and a young mum, who went missing after a boat trip, with her whole life and career seemingly in front of her. She leaves her four-year-old son behind.
And of course, there are people who grew up watching Glee (it ran from 2009 - 2015) with Santana as one of their favourite characters.
But some have said that it's one of the first celebrity deaths to really affect them, due to what she represented in the series.
As Demi Lovato wrote, she helped so many in the LGBT+ community accept who they were thanks to her portrayal of Santana on screen. And the popstar added that her 'ambition and accomplishments were inspiring to Latina women all over the world'. 'RIP Naya Rivera,' she tweeted. 'I’ll forever cherish the opportunity to play your girlfriend on Glee. The character you played was groundbreaking for tons of closeted (at the time) queer girls like me, and your ambition and accomplishments were inspiring to Latina women all over the world.'
'I can’t help thinking about how many LGBTQ+ people’s lives were changed watching Naya Rivera play the first openly lesbian Latinx character on television,' another added. 'That role undeniably saved so many young queer people’s lives and gave them some sort of hope.'
READ MORE: Naya Rivera: The Cast Of Glee Pay Tribute As Police Confirm Her Body Has Been Found At Lake Piru