Naya Rivera Dies at 33, Here are 6 Things You Didn't Know About Her

So far 2020 hasn’t given us anything to cheer about and the news of 33-year-old actor Naya Rivera’s death has only made it all the more disappointing. The actor is best known for essaying the role of high school cheerleader Santana Lopez in Glee. Naya was out on a boating trip with her four-year-old son at Lake Piru, an hour's drive from Los Angeles. When her son was found alone sleeping on the drifting boat, authorities launched a search mission to find her. However, her body was recovered after 5 days and was sent for autopsy. Meanwhile, heartfelt messages from co-actors and friends have been pouring in for the actor. We draw up a list of facts that you need to know about her. 

Naya in a still from Glee.

1. Naya drowned after saving her son. As per authorities, the boat began To drift due to strong currents. Naya on sensing the danger mustered enough courage to put her son back on the boat but couldn’t save herself. Her son Josey Hollis Dorsey told investigators that he saw her disappear under water. Her body was caught in some shrubbery on the floor bed of the lake so it didn’t show up initially. It floated to the surface after natural decomposition set in. 

 

 

 

 

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just the two of us

A post shared by Naya Rivera (@nayarivera) on Jul 7, 2020 at 3:15pm PDT

2. Naya was quite close to her son from ex partner Ryan Dorsey. Just a day before the incident she had shared a photo of herself with her son on Instagram, captioned, “Just the two of us”. Her Insta feed is full of heartwarming messages and photos of her son. 

3. In 2017, Naya was arrested for assaulting her then husband (she divorced Ryan in 2018). The authorities found the proof in a video shot on a phone that her husband shared with them. She was released on bond after a brief court appearance. The argument that led to the assault was believed to be about their son Josey.

Naya with Ryan Dorsey.

4. Naya Rivera married Rayan Dorsey on July 19, 2014, a day originally set for her wedding with her ex rapper boyfriend Big Sean. She had got engaged to the rapper in 2013, but in 2014 Big Sean called off their engagement. 

5. Naya brought out her memoir “Sorry Not Sorry” in 2016. The tell-all book chronicled her struggles with anorexia, her boob job, her abortion, and her exes and her marriage to Ryan. In the book she revealed that Ariana Grande had a role to play in her breakup with Big Sean. 

7. She made her music debut in 2013 with the single “Sorry”, which also featured Big Sean. Naya had signed up with Columbia Records for an album, however the plan didn’t go through. There were speculations that it was because her single had underperformed.