‘Glee’ star saved son before drowning, sheriff in California says
LOS ANGELES
“Glee” star Naya Rivera’s 4-year-old son told investigators that his mother, whose body was found in a Southern California lake Monday, boosted him back on to their rented boat before he saw her disappearing under the water, authorities said. “She must have mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at a news conference.
The boy, Josey Hollis Dorsey, was found asleep and alone in a life vest on the drifting pontoon boat about three hours after they launched on Lake Piru northwest of Los Angeles, setting off a five-day search that ended with the discovery of the body of the 33year-old floating near the surface early Monday, authorities said.
The mother and son had gone swimming, Ayub said. She was not wearing a life vest. Authorities say Rivera drowned accidentally.
“It has been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal,” Ayub said. “We share in their grief.”
Rivera played singing cheerleader Santana Lopez for six seasons from 2009 to 2015 on the Fox musicalcomedy “Glee.”
She is the third major cast member from the show to die in their 30s.
The announcement of her death comes seven years to the day after co-star Cory Monteith died at 31 from a toxic mix of alcohol and heroin, with the series losing one of its leads while it was still on the air.
Another co-star, Mark Salling, who Rivera dated at one point, killed himself in 2018 at age 35 after pleading guilty to child-pornography charges.
Ayub said the location of the body and no one else being reported missing in the lake made the department “confident that the body we found is Naya Rivera.”
The boy, Rivera’s son from her marriage to actor Ryan Dorsey, was quickly
Rivera reunited with family members after he was found, authorities said.
His parents divorced in 2018 after nearly four years of marriage.
The day before her death, Rivera tweeted a photo of herself and Josey that read, “just the two of us.”
20th Century Fox TV and Fox Entertainment issued a joint statement Monday.
“Naya Rivera was a fierce talent with so much more to do and this is such a terrible tragedy. We are forever grateful for the indelible contribution she made to ‘Glee,’ from the first episode to the last. Our hearts are broken and our thoughts go out to Naya’s family, friends and young son,” it said.
More recently, Rivera was starring as a dancer-turnedschool administrator in the “Step Up” television series based on the popular film franchise.
News that Rivera’s body had been found prompted an outpouring from friends and admirers. Because she played a queer character on “Glee,” many remembered her as a trailblazer for LGBTQ representation on television.
“Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family,” “Glee” co-star Jane Lynch tweeted.
“I’ll never be able to articulate the importance of seeing Naya, a Black Puerto Rican, portraying a queer Afro-Latina on primetime TV. I’m heartbroken over all the stories that will remain untold,” Steven Canals, co-creator and executive producer of FX’s “Pose,” tweeted.
Rivera was born and raised in Santa Clarita, Calif., and began her career at age 4 with a role in the 1991 CBS sitcom “The Royal Family.” Rivera went on to appear on the television shows “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Bernie Mac Show” and “8 Simple Rules,” before landing her role on “Glee.”
In addition to her son, Rivera is survived by her parents, brother and sister.
On July 2, Rivera posted a now tragically poignant message on Twitter and Instagram: “no matter the year, circumstance, or strifes everyday you’re alive is a blessing. Make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised.”