Authorities have confirmed that actor Naya Rivera has died, she was just 33 years of age.
Rivera’s family and friends had been searching for Naya since last Thursday, after her young son was found unattended on a boat on California’s Lake Piru.
Tributes have been pouring in for the young star, with co-stars sharing their condolences for Rivera’s family and loved ones.
Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family.
— Jane Lynch (@janemarielynch) July 13, 2020
She played by her own rules and was in a class of her own. She had a brashness about her that I couldn’t help but be enchanted by. I also always loved her voice, and savored every chance I got to hear her sing. I think she had more talent than we would have ever been able to see.
— Darren Criss (@DarrenCriss) July 14, 2020
Prayers for Naya Rivera’s family. Man….can we have a “Do Over ” of 2020. The loss is too much
pic.twitter.com/63iNdRikv5
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) July 13, 2020
absolutely devastating I’m so sorry for Naya’s family, her son, and friends … just awful
— Hayley Kiyoko (@HayleyKiyoko) July 14, 2020
Many LGBTIQ+ fans have been sharing their love for Rivera, praising her for representing Latinx queer folks on screen.
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. #RIPNayaRivera pic.twitter.com/UGq2rDwWay
— Steven Canals (@StevenCanals) July 13, 2020
i’m so saddened and disturbed by the news of naya rivera. naya meant so much to so many queer women my age. her character on ‘glee’ awakened a generation repressed. thank you, naya.
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) July 9, 2020
can’t stop thinking about how Naya Rivera brought us a queer female character on mainstream tv in a time when that was v rare. she helped so many women accept themselves, saved countless lives, and then spent her last mins saving her son’s life too. rip naya you did so much good.
— Lane Moore (@hellolanemoore) July 14, 2020
Rivera played lesbian character Santana Lopez on Glee, appeared on the judging panel of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9, and hinted at her own bisexuality while appearing as a guest host on The View in 2015.
OIP Staff
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