Goodbye To Our Sun: Mourning Naya Rivera
- alexandriagohhy
- Feb 7, 2021
- 4 min read
W5T1: Obituary
Former ‘Glee’ actress Naya Rivera (33) was reported dead after accidentally drowning during a boating trip on July 8th. The 33-year old mother and actress had rented a pontoon boat at Lake Piru and had gone swimming with her son, Josey, and never returned. "She mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself," said Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub during a news conference. Josey was first discovered asleep on the rental pontoon boat after it was overdue for return prompting a search for Rivera. After a six-day search, her body was found floating in the northeast area of the lake, where the water was between 35 and 60 feet deep. In the autopsy report, Rivera was noted to have raised her hand to shout for help before disappearing into the water.
Naya Rivera was best known for her role as Santana Lopez, a lesbian cheerleader with a passion for singing on the hit musical-comedy FOX Show, ‘Glee’. She was well loved by the people she had worked with and shows she had performed over the years. Many celebrities, including her fellow cast mates expressed their condolences upon the news of her death on social media. Chris Colfer, who played “Kurt” on the show, wrote on his Instagram a lengthy and emotional caption of him and Rivera. “How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post? How can you summarise a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone? If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can’t.”.
Not only did Rivera’s character represented an open lesbian relationship in mainstream media, but she also spotlighted her role as a representation of the Afro-Latina community. Critics mentioned that her portrayal of a lesbian character was absolute perfection thus, earning favourable reviews.
While she was best known for her role in ‘Glee’, Rivera had also stepped out to pursue many different careers. Her epic voice had been showcased multiple times during her Glee performances which led her to sign a solo deal with Columbia records and released her debut single “Sorry” in 2011. However, it was reported in 2014 that the record label that dropped her and her album was placed on hold indefinitely. Her failed singing career did not dampen her spirits instead, the 33-year old actress debuted a book in 2016, a memoir titled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up which told her story of her career and relationships with Hollywood. As a mother, Rivera had also started her own Los Angeles based unisex children’s clothing line called Jojo and Izzy in 2017. Throughout her career, she had contributed to many social justice causes, dedicating her time to work with charitable organisations such as GLAAD, The Trevor Project and The Sunshine Foundation as well as doing work within Black Lives Matters and LGBTQIA+ rights movements.
Rivera was born in Valencia, California, beginning her journey to stardom at a very young age, working commercials as young as 8 months old. She was known as a child actress playing roles in “The Royal Family'' as well as “Family Matters”. While promoting her memoir Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up, she expressed that she had been plagued with the tragic child star cliches, “I’ve done a lot of living”, the actress told the People in an interview. “I’m a 79-year old trapped in a 29 years old body.”. Rivera had also opened up to the eating disorder she had suffered as a teenager due to the fear of losing out in her career but she had recovered since then, she opened up her riveting and cathartic memoir.
Her role in Glee had been one of her biggest career breakthroughs, starring in 117 episodes of the hit musical-comedy. She gave the show some of the most jaw-dropping and powerful performances such as her all-cello rendition of Smooth Criminal and deep, sultry cover of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie. As the co-captain of the cheerleader team at William McKinley High School, she was bold, powerful and most importantly bitchy. Rivera had brought what would’ve been a flat character and made her especially vital, delivering some of the show’s most devastating burns and insults. Her charisma and comic timing fueled a fury that pulsed through every insult. As the show progressed, she eventually evolved into one of the show’s most realised characters and becoming one of mainstream TV’s first Latina lesbian, blazing through heartbreak and tragedy, and crushing it as one of her most iconic roles.
Her son, Josey, who was discovered asleep and alone on the boat, is reunited with the deceased’s family, including Naya’s sister Nickayla Rivera and his father, Naya’s ex husband, Ryan Dosey who shared joint custody to the four year old. As a beloved role model for young Latina women and the LGBTQ community, many loved ones and fans were struck by her sudden death. She will always be remembered as an actress, mother and daughter, but most importantly, a woman of power.
Rest in Peace Naya Rivera.
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