Thursday (July 8) marked one-year since Naya Rivera tragically passed away – but the late actress continues to live on in the hearts of her friends and loved ones.
Her Glee co-stars shared photos of Naya, along with touching tributes, on Instagram.
Heather Morris: “It hasn’t gotten easier to write a caption. You are the brightest star in my eyes Naya Rivera. I’m so grateful GOD LAYED A HAND and brought us together as best friends, mom friends, scene partners, and everything in between. Your legacy lives on in kindness and being ‘that sassy queen’ in my eyes. I love you forever bebe girl.”
Kevin McHale: “I miss u. Every single day.”
Jenna Ushkowitz: “Always a light, always with us. My heart is with you and your family today. Love you Nougs.”
Matthew Morrison and Chris Colfer captioned their posts with a simple red heart emoji.
Lea Michele shared a video of Naya performing “Don’t Rain On My Parade” from Glee’s fifth season, which she captioned with a dove with olive branch emoji.
Glee fans are familiar with the song’s special connection between the two performers – Lea sang it in the first season of the show; it was also a reference to a story arc where Lea’s Rachel Berry and Naya’s Santana Lopez worked together in the production of Funny Girl on Broadway.
Naya passed away on July 8, 2020 at the age of 33 in a drowning accident. She, along with then-four-year-old son Josey, rented a boat at the time. However, the staff at the lake later found Josey alone, sleeping and wrapped in a towel, on the boat along with an adult-sized life vest. After an extensive five-day search, Naya’s body was recovered. Authorities believe Naya had died saving her son.
