Best known for her role as the feisty cheerleader Santana Lopez on the Fox television series Glee, actress/singer Naya Rivera also pursued a solo singing career. Born and raised in California, Rivera came from an accomplished family: her mother Yolanda and sister Nickayla were both models, while her brother Mychal was an NFL tight end. Her mother's talent agent began representing her while she was still a baby, and during the '90s and early 2000s she scored roles on shows including Baywatch, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Family Matters. As she neared her twenties, she appeared on 8 Simple Rules and CSI Miami, while also taking on theater work and odd jobs. Rivera's lucky break came in 2009, when she was cast as Santana on Glee; she became a series regular in the show's second season. In 2011, she signed a deal with Columbia Records to make a solo album; her first single, "Sorry," a collaboration with Big Sean, arrived in September 2013.

On July 8, 2020, while boating with her four-year-old son, Rivera went missing at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Five days later her body was recovered, and she was declared dead by accidental drowning. She was 33 years old. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi