The Tragedy Of Naya Rivera Explained

Singer, actor, activist — Naya Rivera wore many hats. She started her career as a child actor in the '90s sitcom "The Royal Family," then went on to guest in big TV shows of the decade, including "Family Matters," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and "Baywatch." Rivera never left the limelight, popping up in movies and shows over the next decade, but she had to wait until 2009 to secure her defining and breakout role as Santana Lopez in "Glee." From there, her career skyrocketed to new levels of celebrity, seeing her fulfill musical ambitions and starring in other notable series like "Devious Maids" and "Step Up: Highwater."

Rivera's rise to fame didn't last long, though, as she tragically passed away in 2020, becoming one of the '00s stars who died in bizarre ways. She was only 33 years old. For friends, family, and fans, it felt cruel how someone so young could be taken away, especially since she was finally achieving all her dreams and there was now a 4-year-old son who was left motherless. It's yet another reminder that no one is promised a long time on Earth, so it's important to cherish every single moment we have.

While Rivera made her mark on the entertainment industry, her journey wasn't without its challenges and heartbreaks. Let's take a look back at Naya Rivera's life story and what she faced on her path to superstardom.

Naya Rivera's mother, Yolanda, saw something special in her daughter. As Naya revealed in her autobiography, "Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up," Yolanda — a former model and actor — organized an agent for Naya at a young age. Yolanda believed in Naya so much that she embarked on a new career, creating a company called One-Plus-One Management and representing Naya as her manager. In fact, Naya was One-Plus-One's sole client the entire time it was in operation.

Naya's father, George, had a full-time job at an IT company, which allowed Yolanda to fully focus on Naya's career while ensuring that the family had an income to fall back on. As revealed in the Financial Times, though, George also worked for the likes of Disney and Universal, but experienced a bout of unemployment, which had a major impact on the family's finances. Reportedly, Naya and her family had luxurious cars at their home, but then saw them being repossessed when they hit hard times.

In "Sorry Not Sorry," Naya explained how her father's unemployment ran for a lengthy period, and there was no other income flowing into the household. Resultantly, she tapped into some of the money she had earned as a child star to help pay the bills and keep everyone afloat until her father could find work again.

"The Royal Family" was a short-lived series that aired from 1991 to 1992. It starred famous '70s comedian and sitcom star Redd Foxx, who played Al Royal on the show. Naya Rivera also featured, portraying Royal's granddaughter, Hillary.

Behind the scenes, Rivera and Foxx developed a close relationship. In her autobiography, "Sorry Not Sorry," Rivera revealed that Foxx used to refer to her as his granddaughter in real life. The feeling was mutual, since Rivera hadn't had a relationship with her real grandparents. "I was way too young to process it at the time, but now, when I look back, I realize how special and unique it was for the cast of a TV show to have such offscreen camaraderie and genuine love," Rivera wrote.

Rivera was on set the day that Foxx died. "Redd and I were running our lines on set," she wrote. "He was sitting in an easy chair, and I was standing on my mark in front of him, when all of a sudden he kind of slumped over and fell to the floor. For a while, no one moved." When Foxx didn't get up, everyone realized there was a problem. The cast and crew went with him to the hospital, waiting alongside and comforting Foxx's actual family. Eventually, the doctor broke the news to everyone: Foxx had died. It was an event that affected Rivera because of how close she had grown to him.

By the time Naya Rivera entered high school, she had already accumulated more than a few acting credits. Whatever bit of fame and popularity she might have had as a child actor didn't matter when she interacted with kids her own age. In fact, she told Complex that high school wasn't all that for her. "I wish I had more fun in high school," Rivera said. "I wasn't allowed to hang out with the Black kids because they thought I wasn't Black enough, which was a problem."

In a separate interview with Rolling Stone, Rivera admitted that her focus was also elsewhere, as she kept her eye on the prize and her long-term ambitions. "I was so focused on trying to book a show or get a record deal that I was really removed from the whole high school experience," she said.

Rivera also disclosed that her parents were fairly strict, wanting her to be around the house rather than go out partying. That being said, she revealed that she and her friend Madison used to sit outside of a liquor store and plead with people to buy them wine coolers so that they could take the stock back home and drink while watching "The Notebook" together.

In her teenage years, Naya Rivera experienced two major life events: her parents separated and got back together, and her acting career hit a roadblock. According to her autobiography, "Sorry Not Sorry," she had anorexia because she "just hated everything about [herself]" and a "freak reaction to being under a lot of pressure."

In her sophomore year, Rivera realized that her avoidance of food was becoming a big problem, adding that she would either throw away her mother's packed lunches or give them away to someone else. "I was so young and it just seemed to be the norm," Rivera told People. "Everyone was going through similar stuff. I had no way of knowing if I was going through it worse. I was juggling my feelings and it makes me sad that there are girls still going through that 15 years after I went through it."

After Rivera passed away, "Glee" co-star Heather Morris told the "And That's What You REALLY Missed" podcast about the time in which Rivera approached her about her own "eating disorder." While Morris admitted that she dismissed Rivera's concerns at the time, it showed her that Rivera cared and wasn't afraid to talk about her past experiences if it could help someone else.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Naya Rivera came from a multiracial background. Her father, George, was Puerto Rican, while her mother, Yolanda, was half-German and half-African-American. As a child actor, she accepted the ethnic casting roles on offer — pointing out how some parts only needed a shot of her hand — but she thought this would change over time, especially if she secured a big breakthrough role that would put her on the map.

Yet, even after her stint on "Glee," Rivera was met with racism by the industry. Speaking to BuzzFeed, Rivera recalled specific commentary she received after she lost a role to a Caucasian performer. "The feedback I got was that the size of my lips were distracting to male execs," she revealed, adding how it was a racist statement to make, while it didn't offer any constructive feedback about her actual audition or performance.

"I'm Hispanic and Black; you can't say that," Rivera said. "It's mind-blowing. The industry is really nuts in that way. I'm not slamming the industry — it's what I grew up in and it's what I love to do — I'm just in a weird place where I'm right back at [the beginning], even though I did a really good job on a show for six years."

In her autobiography, "Sorry Not Sorry" (via People), Naya Rivera applied a candid approach, divulging details about her life that people had never known before she put the words down on the page. One of the biggest — and most talked-about — revelations was that she had an abortion in 2010.

Rivera elaborated on this challenging period of her life and why she made the decision she did at the time. The actor explained how she had broken up with Ryan Dorsey — who would become her husband years later — due to the fact that she wanted to concentrate on her career after she landed a role in "Glee." Weeks after the split, she discovered she was pregnant with his child. Rivera chose to put her career first and not tell Dorsey about the pregnancy. So, on her day off from filming "Glee," she had an abortion.

"It was very scary to open up about everything," Rivera said. "It's not something a lot of people talk about, but I think they should. I know some people might read it and say, 'What the hell?' But I hope someone out there gets something out of it."

Cory Monteith turned himself into a household name after appearing as Finn Hudson in "Glee" and developing a real-life relationship with his co-star Lea Michele. In 2013, Monteith died at the age of 31 from an accidental drug overdose, subsequently resulting in the TV death of his character since the actor had died. The "Glee" cast mourned the passing of their castmate — including Naya Rivera.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Rivera revealed that everyone involved in "Glee" had been taken aback and left shattered by the news. "Cory was and always will be a part of my own family and a good friend," she said. "He was a special part of this world and will forever be missed."

As it turns out, Monteith and Rivera were incredibly close behind the scenes. When Rivera died in 2020, Monteith's mother, Ann McGregor, posted a slideshow of pictures featuring Monteith and Rivera to an Instagram account she had started in memoriam of her son. In the caption, McGregor expressed sadness at the news of Rivera's death, while adding, "Naya, Cory loved you so, so much. He cherished your friendship more than you will ever know. From the laughs you shared, to the strength you gave him when he needed it the most."

One of the actors who ruined their careers in a matter of seconds was Mark Salling. The "Glee" star, who played Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the show, pleaded guilty to a shocking crime involving children. However, before his sentence hearing could happen, he died by suicide. Salling was 35 years old.

Salling was also the ex-boyfriend of Naya Rivera. The couple dated for three years before Salling reportedly broke up with Rivera at the behest of her publicist, who didn't think Rivera was a good fit for the actor's profile. In her autobiography, "Sorry Not Sorry" (via People), Rivera revealed that the breakup devastated her at first before she had a lightbulb moment. 

"When Mark dumped me, I thought it was the worst thing ever, but can you imagine if that didn't happen?" she wrote. "And I was laying there in bed when the battering ram came through the door? I think everyone should have that one relationship where you look back and ask yourself, 'What the hell was I thinking?'" Salling was arrested in 2015, and Rivera wrote about her thoughts on his crimes in her book. She stated, "I can't say I was totally shocked, but still — WTF?"

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Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey dated on and off in the early 2010s. Eventually, the pair decided to make it official and walked down the aisle in 2014, not too long after Rivera broke off her engagement from rapper Big Sean. In 2015, Rivera and Dorsey welcomed their son, Josey Hollis, into the world. A year later, Rivera filed for divorce before retracting it in 2017, reportedly for the sake of their son. During this tumultuous period, Rivera was arrested on a domestic battery charge for allegedly assaulting Dorsey; however, this charge was later dismissed.

In 2018, Rivera and Dorsey officially parted ways and divorced. After Rivera died, Dorsey told People that they always put their son's needs before their own, and they had been on and off in an attempt to reconcile. "We were going to try to have another baby and all the things," Dorsey said. "We went to Maui to look at places and get a fresh start, and then we fell out again ... If I knew what I know now, I would've tried to do things differently to make it work."

In July 2020, Naya Rivera and her son, Josey, went on a boat ride at Lake Piru. After the rented boat failed to be returned back to the shore, an agent discovered it on the water. On the boat was a sleeping Josey, wearing a lifejacket; however, Rivera wasn't there. This kicked off a frantic search for her. After several days of searching, the divers discovered her body. As per the Ventura County Sheriff's X account, Rivera died by accidental drowning.

"The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting — it was unanchored — and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself," the sheriff suggested, according to the BBC.

Speaking to People, Ryan Dorsey recounted what Josey had told him about the incident. Reportedly, Josey and Rivera went swimming, and Rivera noticed their boat was drifting away. She told Josey to swim back and did everything possible to ensure he got back on the boat. "He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn't see her anymore," Dorsey said.

In 2021, a year after Naya Rivera passed away, Rivera's father, George, spoke to People about the last conversations he'd had with his daughter. George claimed that Naya was in a good place in her life and making serious plans for her future. As George revealed, he and Naya connected over music, especially since George used to be a musician, and that she was planning to head to Nashville to restart her music career.

"She was really looking forward to starting to record music again," George said. "Our relationship was really bonded around music. She was a pretty good writer and wrote a lot of poetry, but she didn't play any instruments, so we'd been looking for collaborators and we found this young group who she liked and who were good songwriters."

What's most tragic about this is the fact that Naya had attempted a music career before, so this would have been her comeback. Previously, she had signed with Columbia Records in 2011. However, she never released an album, with Columbia reportedly dropping her as an artist in 2014. Her reps denied the claims that she had been let go, but she never released a full-length album for Columbia.