Actress Naya Rivera has been found dead after going missing at Lake Piru in California on Wednesday, July 8. Today, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference where they announced that they had located Rivera’s body.
Rivera had taken her four-year-old son to the lake to rent a pontoon and spend the day on the water. When the boat failed to return, authorities located the rental with Rivera’s son asleep inside. Rivera was nowhere to be found, and shortly after a search began. Authorities have confirmed that she drowned, and it has been ruled as an accident. They believe that Rivera and her son were caught in a current while swimming near the boat, and Rivera was able to rescue her son but was unable to get back in the boat herself.
Rivera was best known for her role as the cheerleader Santana Lopez on Fox’s show Glee, as well as a popular M&Ms commercial. She starred in her first feature film in 2014, At the Devil’s Door, and had recurring roles on Devious Maids and the soon to be produced Step Up: High Water. She also wrote a memoir entitled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up.
Fans around the world are sharing their favorite vocal performances from Rivera’s run on Glee, as well as photos of her and her son. Many are honoring her for her support of the LGBTQ community and her positive and progressive representation of Latinx women on television.
Thank you for what you gave the world. I love you. pic.twitter.com/CFNmwgtSva
— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) July 13, 2020
Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family.
— Jane Lynch (@janemarielynch) July 13, 2020
