Glee stars pay tribute to Naya
The actress is feared dead after boat trip
‘This may well be a case of of drowning’
Tributes and prayers poured in last week for actress Naya Rivera, who was reported missing and presumed dead after her four-year-old son was found alone on a boat in the middle of a lake in California. According to reports, he said his mum had “jumped in the water and didn’t come back”.
Naya, 33, had rented a pontoon boat on Lake Piru on Wednesday afternoon, along with son Josey. The alarm was raised three hours later, after other boaters spotted the child alone and asleep on board. Officials said the star’s disappearance was considered to be a “horrible accident” – with a local sheriff’s spokesperson adding, “We’re going on the belief that she did go in the water, and we’ve not been able to locate her. This may well be a case of drowning.”
Immediately, friends and fans took to social media to post tributes and messages of hope. Her Glee co-star and close friend Heather Morris told followers, “We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back to us… We need your love and light.” Demi Lovato, who also starred in Glee, wrote, “Please pray for Naya to be found safe and sound.”
The apparent tragedy comes days after Naya posted a photo of herself and Josey alongside the caption, “Just the two of us.” The star split from former husband and Josey’s dad Ryan Dorsey in 2016. A year later, she was arrested and charged with domestic battery after allegedly hitting Ryan, but the charges were later dropped. She was previously engaged to rapper Big Sean, who last week liked a series of tweets praying for her safety and urging officials to continue their search.
Inevitably, Naya’s shock disappearance reignited conversation about the socalled “Glee curse”, which has apparently plagued its actors since the show began in 2009. In 2013, Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, died of an accidental drug overdose after consuming a lethal mix of heroin and alcohol. Then, two years ago, Mark Salling – Naya’s former boyfriend, who played Puck on the show – died by suicide after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. And last month, the show was again mired in controversy after some of its former stars spoke out against leading lady Lea Michele’s alleged on-set bullying.
As heat went to press, the search for Naya was still ongoing. ■