College Fund For Naya Rivera's Son Started By 'Glee' Creators
Tributes and memorials are pouring in for the departed Naya Rivera, whose body was found five days after disappearing in Lake Piru. The latest one comes from the creators of Glee, the television show that jumpstarted Rivera’s career.
People reports that Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy have announced that along with Rivera’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, they will be starting a college fund for Rivera’s son Josey. Josey, 4, was found alone in the boat and triggered the search for Rivera.
Aside from the announcement of a college fund, the co-creators also recalled their time with Rivera, sharing how they knew she was a talented and special star even with the few lines she had in the first few episodes of the show.
The trio described Rivera as a triple threat who could act, dance, and sing, as well as deliver a joke perfectly. The also recalled Rivera as someone that was a joy to work with, write for, and direct.
NBC News also took note of how Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennan recognized how important Rivera’s character Santana was to the LGBTQ community. Santana was one of the few out Latina lesbians on television at the time and the trio confirmed that Rivera always made sure that the relationship was always treated with pure intentions, strength, and dignity.
Earlier in the week, Rivera’s former Glee costar Lea Michele also paid tribute to her by putting up a black-and-white image of her on her Instagram Stories. The post marked Michele’s return to social media after spending almost a month weathering a social media firestorm after allegations of her bad behavior on the Glee set.
Michele also posted a black-and-white image of Corey Monteith, whose seventh death anniversary coincided with the discovery of Rivera’s remains. Monteith died from the “mixed drug toxicity” of alcohol and heroin and was Michele’s boyfriend at the time of his death.
Other Glee cast members have also paid tribute to Rivera over the past few days. Jenna Ushkowitz, who played Tina Cohen-Chang, promised that continue the legacy of “talent, humor, light and loyalty” that Rivera left behind.
Becca Tobin, who played Kitty Wilde, said that she would always remember Rivera for her kindness to her when she was just a newbie on the show. Tobin also described Rivera as witty, gorgeous, and talented.
Finally, Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel on the show, shared how difficult it was to find words to fully summarize a decade of friendship with Rivera.