The vampire Countess of the Hotel Cortez might have bitten the dust on "American Horror Story" last week, but her legacy will live forever -- in gold.

Lady Gaga, nominated for the first time ever for a Golden Globe, took home the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television at the ceremony tonight (Jan 10).

Gaga had big shoes to fill when she took on the role of the Countess, taking the place of AHS grande dame Jessica Lange (who was nominated herself for this same award four years running, and won in 2011.)

But despite being up against some serious competition, including Felicity Huffman, Queen Latifah, Kirsten Dunst, and Sarah Hay, Gaga proved that she's worthy of Lange's mantle in every way when the envelope was opened and her name was called out.

Despite having achieved stardom on an epic scale already as a musician (needless to say, Gaga is no stranger to taking home awards in honor of her work), this one seemed to have special resonance for her, as her reaction upon hearing her name was to start sobbing immediately.

In a breathlessly emotional speech, the actress called her Globes win "one of the greatest moments of my life," before going on to name Ryan Murphy and the rest of the AHS cast in a round of heartfelt thank yous.

"You're all so talented and because of you I was able to shine, I guess," said the star, struggling to hold back tears.