So Sick Edits

‘Glee’ Cast Mourn Death of Actress Naya Rivera

Friends, colleagues and former costars of Naya Rivera are mourning her death after the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office recovered her body on California’s Lake Piru Monday following a six-day search.

The 33-year-old actress and singer, best known for her role as Santana Lopez on Glee, is believed to have drowned while boating with her 4-year-old son, Josey Dorsey. Rivera was declared missing on Wednesday after Josey was discovered asleep and floating alone in the boat.

For former Glee cast members, the news was particularly resonant, as it came seven years to the day that fellow Glee co-star Cory Monteith was declared dead from a drug overdose. Glee star Lea Michele paid homage to both Monteith and Rivera through several black-and-white photographs on her Instagram story.

Jane Lynch, who portrayed Coach Sue Sylvester on the show, wrote on Twitter: “Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family.”

Chris Colfer, the actor who played Kurt Hummel, penned a lengthy Instagram post in tribute to Rivera: “How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post? How can you summarize a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone? If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can’t,” he wrote. “Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness. She could turn a bad day into a great day with a single remark. She inspired and uplifted people without even trying. Being close to her was both a badge of honor and a suit of armor. Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be.”

View this post on Instagram

How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post? How can you summarize a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone? If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can’t. Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness. She could turn a bad day into a great day with a single remark. She inspired and uplifted people without even trying. Being close to her was both a badge of honor and a suit of armor. Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be. ? Sending all my love to her wonderful family and her beautiful son.

A post shared by Chris Colfer (@chriscolfer) on

Kevin McHale (who played Artie Abrams) tweeted: “My Naya, my Snixxx, my Bee. I legitimately cannot imagine this world without you…A week ago today we were talking about running away to Hawaii. This doesn’t make sense. And I know it probably never will.”

“Cheerios Forever,” wrote Lauren Potter, who portrayed fellow Glee cheerleader Becky Jackson.

Darren Criss (Blaine Anderson) posted a long Twitter thread in tribute to Rivera. “She played by her own rules and was in a class of her own,” he wrote. “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.”

Demi Lovato, who played Santana’s girlfriend Dani on Glee season 5, wrote: “RIP Naya Rivera. 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.”

Ricky Martin posted a picture of himself with Rivera, writing, “Beautiful memories boricua. RIP.”