Demi Lovato 'will always cherish' playing Naya Rivera's girlfriend on 'Glee'

Demi Lovato, who very recently came out as pansexual, began the segment by reminiscing on her four-episode Glee arc as Dani, a waitress who Santana Lopez (Rivera) had a brief romance with in Season 5 before eventually ending up happily married to her on-and-off love Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris).

"I don't have to tell you that this year was a tough, tough year," Lovato said. "A particular moment of heartbreak stands out for me: losing my friend Naya Rivera. I will always cherish the chance I got to play Naya's girlfriend, Dani, on Glee. The character Naya played, Santana Lopez, was groundbreaking for closeted queer girls—like I was at the time—and her ambition and accomplishments inspired Latina women all over the world."

The Dancing With The Devil star added: "It's been 10 years since Santana Lopez came out. Look at what LGBTQ teens have done in a decade. Imagine what we can do in the next one."

Glee debuted in May 2009, and the musical drama ran for six seasons on Fox. Rivera's character came out to her grandmother during Season 3's seventh episode ("I Kissed a Girl"), and Vanessa Lengies admitted during this tribute that Santana's abuelita rejecting her "still makes me cry."

Lovato welcomed in members of the Glee cast: Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jessalyn Gilsig, Dot-Marie Jones, Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Lauren Potter, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Becca Tobin and Jenna Ushkowitz.

"I remember when Naya became a regular cast member," Lynch, who won a Golden Globe for her role as Sue Sylvester, said. "She was a dancer, and I always thought she was cute, and she was a great dancer, and (show creator) Ryan (Murphy) started giving her lines, and I was like, 'Wow, this girl is really something.'"

Newell added: "With the exception of our show, there were almost no LGBTQ teens on television at the time," and Shum continued, "especially Latina LGBTQ women."

The cast also emphasized how great of a mother Rivera was to her four-year-old son, Josey. The 33-year-old died disappeared from a pontoon boat she had rented to take out on Ventura County's Lake Piru last July 8 with Josey. Her body was found July 13, and her death was officially ruled an accidental drowning.