Glee stars honored actress and singer Naya Rivera on her 34th birthday. Heather Morris, Chris Colfer pay tribute to their fellow co-star and friend.
The fellow co-stars of the actress mourn and took to their respective social media accounts to honor her memory. Heather Morris portrayed Santana’s girlfriend Brittany. Heather also shared a black and white photo of herself with Naya on her Instagram profile. She wrote in the caption, “Happy Birthday my angel. I can’t write a sappy monologue because it’s just too hard…but I love you and I can’t describe how much I miss you.”
Chris Colfer also remembered the memory of the star by sharing a photo on the set of Glee in her classic Cheerios outfits. He wrote on Instagram, “Happy birthday, babe. Miss you.” Michelle Trachtenberg commented on that photo, “Beautiful soul” along with the prayer hands emoji.
Naya’s body was found after a week-long search following her disappearance at Lake Piru in California on July 13, 2020. She was on a boat with her 4-year-old son Josey Dorsey. The child was found unharmed and alone in the boat wearing a life jacket.
At that time, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department mentioned her death as a “tragic accident.” Capt. Eric Buschow said “We are confident, based on the circumstances, she was not a victim of foul play. There is no indication of this being an abduction or a homicide.”
Naya’s manager released a public statement on behalf of the Rivera family. The statement said, “We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers for Naya, Josey, and our family over the past week. While we grieve the loss of our beautiful legend, we are blessed to honor her everlasting legacy and magnetic spirit. Naya was an amazing talent, but was an even greater person, mother, daughter, and sister.”