Glee stars paid tribute to Naya Rivera, whose body was recovered from a lake in California on Monday as details of the Glee actress's tragic drowning emerged.
Ventura County Sheriff William Ayub told reporters at a press conference, “We believe it was mid-afternoon when she went swimming, the idea being, perhaps, that the boat began drifting… and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat but not enough to save herself. [Her son Josey] described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind. He looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water. … There are a lot of currents on the lake that appear particularly in the afternoon.”
Rivera's 4-year-old son, Josey was found last Wednesday asleep on the boat in a towel, wearing his life jacket.
NBC News' Dana Piccoli wrote about her groundbreaking role on Glee: “In the show's first season, Naya Rivera was cast as the casually cruel Santana Lopez, a sidekick of sorts to head cheerleader Quinn Fabray. But Rivera's sparkle quickly became hard to contain, and her role was expanded.”
Piccoli adds: “Glee grew in popularity at the same time as Twitter, which became integral to the show's success. Fans weren't shy about sharing what they loved and loathed about the show. And what they adored was the chemistry between Naya's Santana and Heather Morris' Brittany S. Pierce. In the 13th episode of the first season, a throwaway line stating that Santana and Brittany had slept together sent fans into a frenzy. Brittany and Santana, or “Brittana,” as fans call them, were meant to be. “Glee” rolled with it, and the relationship would soon be written into the series and become a favorite coupling. … To her credit, Rivera embraced the fan love and recognized early on how important her role was to LGBTQ fans and to television, period. In 2011, Naya even hosted the GLAAD Awards alongside co-star Cory Monteith, who tragically died almost exactly seven years ago.”
Glee stars paid tribute to Rivera on social media.
Demi Lovato, who played Santana's love interest, 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. My heart goes out to your loved ones at this time..”
Harry Shum, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Max Adler, Becca Tobin, and Alex Newell were among the Glee stars and celebrities who paid tribute to Rivera on social media. See a few more tributes below.
