Naya Rivera death: ‘Glee’ cast gather at Lake Piru and pay tributes, GLAAD calls her friend to LGBTQ community
The news of Naya Rivera’s death has caused a seismic wave in Hollywood. On Monday, July 13, a body was recovered at Lake Piru in Southern California, the site where the 33-year-old ‘Glee’ actor went missing last Wednesday while boating with her four-year-old son. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department confirmed the body was that of Rivera. “Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and fans during this difficult time. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of her death,” the department said. Members of the 'Glee' cast gathered at the lake, holding hands on the shore of the water, about an hour before Ventura County Sheriff's Department confirmed Rivera’s death.
Following the news, Hollywood figures have taken to social media to pay tribute to the actress. This included several of her former cast members from ‘Glee’, Ryan Murphy's Fox musical dramedy series. On the show, Rivera played Santana Lopez, a feisty William McKinley High School cheerleader, whose character arc evolves over the six seasons as she comes to terms with her sexuality.
Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel on the show, shared a touching Instagram post. Sharing an old photo of the two of them, he wrote, “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.”
Colfer added, “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.”
Alex Newell, who played Wade ‘Unique’ Adams, one of the main characters in the show’s later seasons, too shared his piece on Instagram. He wrote, sharing a segment the two actors did for promoting the show, “My heart is broken. I truly had so much fun filming this little segment... we both clearly didn’t wanna be there but made the most of it! … Naya was truly a star. The love she had for her family and friends was always clear! She will truly be missed!”
Actor Iqbal Theba, who played Principal Figgins, said it minimally as he tweeted a single broken heart emoji. Josh Sussman, who played Jacob Ben Israel, too shared the same emoji and wrote, “Naya, you will be missed so much.” Max Adler, who played Dave Karofsky, also expressed his sentiments through a number of broken hearts and crying emojis.
Vanessa Lengies, who played fellow student Sugar Motta, wrote on Twitter, “So much grief today. Grateful for our love and connection. Holding everyone tight. Family for lifetimes.” And Jane Lynch, who played the iconic role of Sue Sylvester, the coach of the cheerleading squad (the glee club's arch-nemesis), wrote in a heartfelt message: “Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family.”
20th Century Fox TV and Fox Entertainment, which produced ‘Glee’ too issued a statement: “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.”
While many Hollywood celebrities also joined in to pay their tributes — Mandy Moore, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Wendy Williams, and more — a touching tribute, in particular, came from GLAAD.
The GLAAD statement read, “Naya Rivera will be missed so much by so many. She was a friend of GLAAD and even hosted the GLAAD Media Awards twice. She was kind, gracious, and personally used her platforms and voice to tell LGBTQ youth that they are loved. Our hearts are with her loved ones.”
Rivera was a vocal supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community. Her own queer character on ‘Glee’ has been regarded as many as a trailblazer. In 2017, Rivera wrote about queer community, saying, "I have been so incredibly fortunate to portray a character on television that has meant so much to so many within the LGBTQ community. Off-screen, I am a woman who stands in support of equal rights for all. It has been one of the great blessings in my life to receive such love and touching stories as a result of my portrayal of Santana Lopez in ‘Glee’.”