Naya Rivera, best known for her recurring role in TV series Glee and Step Up: High Water, is dead at 33. Her death was confirmed by the Ventura County sheriff's office on the afternoon of July 13, after an announcement earlier in the day that human remains had been recovered that morning.
Rivera was reported missing on July 8. following a boat trip with her 4-year-old son in California's Lake Piru. CBS Los Angeles reported at the time that another boater had raised the alarm after seeing Rivera's child asleep in a boat by himself. Ventura County Sheriff launched a search and rescue operation the same day.
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Though Rivera is best known for her role as Santana Lopez on musical comedy series Glee, which aired on Fox from 2009-2015, she started acting at a very young age, appearing as recurring character Hillary Winston in The Royal Family when she was 4 years old. She went on to work steadily throughout her childhood, with more recurring parts in Family Matters and The Bernie Mac Show. Rivera was cast in Glee in her early 20s.
Former Glee cast members shared their grief and remembered Rivera on Twitter. Jane Lynch, who played Coach Sue Sylvester, and Iqbal Theba, who played Principal Figgins posted reactions before the press conference confirmed Rivera's death to the public.
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Alex Newell, who played Unique Adams, also posted in support of Rivera's family and son.
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Vanessa Lengies (Sugar Motta), expressed her grief as well.
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Glee star Chris Colfer posted a tribute on Instagram, referring to his decade of friendship with Rivera: "Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness...Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be."
Jenna Ushkowitz, another Glee alum, also shared a tribute to Rivera on Instagram. "Naya, you were a ⚡️ force and everyone who got to be around you knew it and felt the light and joy you exuded when you walked into a room," she wrote. "I was lucky enough to share so many laughs, martinis and secrets with you."
Becca Tobin, who played Kitty Wilde on Glee, wrote about Rivera on Instagram: "Naya was insanely talented, breathtakingly gorgeous, and one of the wittiest people I’ve ever met, but the legacy she left behind for me is her kindness."
Pop star Demi Lovato, who played Santana's love interest Dani in a recurring role in Season 5, posted photos and a tribute as well.
“I’ll forever cherish the opportunity to play your girlfriend on Glee," she wrote on Instagram. "The character you played was groundbreaking for tons of closeted queer girls (like me at the time) and open queer girls, and your ambition and accomplishments were inspiring to Latina women all over the world.”
Glee actor Darren Criss remembered Rivera in a four-tweet thread (the first part is below).
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Kevin McHale, also of Glee, posted a photo of himself with Rivera.
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Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry for most of the show's run, posted a series of Instagram stories paying tribute both to Rivera and to their co-star Cory Monteith. Monteith died of an overdose on July 13, 2013 — seven years to the day before Rivera's body was found.
Rivera's last social media post, which was posted the day before she went missing, shows her hugging her four-year-old son. The caption reads "just the two of us."
Additional reporting by Alexis Nedd.
Topics Celebrities
