Some cast members of Glee gathered on the shores of Lake Piru in Ventura County, California to pay tribute to co-star, Naya Rivera. Meanwhile, heartbreaking messages poured on social media following the confirmation that Rivera's body has been found.
The Glee stars were seen holding hands on Monday at the edge of the lake, where Rivera was last seen. She was reported missing on July 8 after her four-year-old son was found on a boat sleeping on a life vest.
Naya was declared dead on Monday when her body was found in Lake Piru. Reports have it Rivera passed away in an apparent drowning after she pushed her four-year-old son to safety while boating at the lake.
Heather Morris, who played Rivera's love interest in Glee, also joined his fellow cast members at the lake on Monday. Prior to that, he also offered her services to the Ventura Sheriff's department for assistance with the search on Sunday. Authorities, however, did not allow untrained civilians to join the search.
The 33-year-old actress, who famously played the role of Santana Lopez, was the third Glee cast member who passed away unexpectedly. First was Cory Monteith, who died on July 13, 2013. Another cast member, Mark Salling, died in 2018.
Jane Lynch, who played cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester during the entire run of the Fox series, tweeted her condolences to the family that Naya left behind. Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) paid tribute to both Rivera and Monteith. She shared on her Instagram Story black-and-white portraits of her co-stars.
Darren Criss (Blaine Anderson) remembered Naya's sense of humor and playfulness. He added that the mother-of-one has an incredible voice and he always savored the chance to hear her singing.
Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel) and Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams) also posted their tributes to Rivera. Colfer praised his friend's unmatched humor and talent, while McHale thanked Naya for teaching him how to speak for himself and for the things and people that he cares about.
Becca Tobin (Kitty Wilde), on the other hand, recalled the time she came to Glee set for the first time. She said she was terrified as she knew it was a tight-knit group but Naya made her comfortable and showed her kindness.
Meanwhile, Naya Rivera's last post on Twitter of herself and her son's photo was flooded with tributes to the late actress and messages of love for her son. Many also expressed gratitude to Naya for giving Latinos and LGBTQ community a representation onscreen.
Some also recalled her most unforgettable scenes on Glee. Netizens posted videos of Rivera's performances in the TV series including her iconic "Smooth Criminal" performance with Grant Gustin, "Girl on Fire," "Valerie," and "Here Comes the Sun."
