Naya Rivera was found dead on Monday, six days after disappearing on Lake Piru, California. The Glee actress who played cheerleader Santana Lopez was 33 and leaves behind her four-year-old son, Josey.
To make matters even more heartbreaking, her death coincides with the seventh anniversary of her former co-star’s death.
Naya’s death comes seven years after Cory Monteith died from a fatal cocktail of alcohol and heroin in a Vancouver hotel room, aged 31.
The actor, who played student Finn Hudson on the hit musical show, had been struggling with addiction and was found dead on July 13, 2013.
On that date, Naya shared a behind-the-scenes photo of herself and Cory on the Glee set captioning it “#TBT jocks and cheerleaders.”
Fans have shared messages of love and condolence on the 2013 post in the wake of Naya’s death.
“We love you and Cory will take care of you, rest easy,” one penned.
“Finn and Santana will meet again,” wrote another shortly after it was announced Naya was missing.
Lea Michele, who starred as Rachel Berry on Glee shared two unseen photos of Cory, who was her on and off-screen boyfriend at the time of his death and Naya to mark the tragic anniversary.
In the first photo, Lea shared a black and white still of Cory dressed in a suit and holding a bunch of flowers that appears to have been taken during an episode of Glee whilst the second depicts a black and white candid photo of Naya.
The actress also shared a candid shot of the cast enjoying a moment together as they surveyed a beach landscape.
Lea, who is due to welcome her first child this year, is now married to Zandy Reich who she tied the knot with last year.
On Monday morning, Glee cast members as well as some of Naya’s friends and loved ones gathered at the boat launch as the search and rescue team located her body.
Actresses Heather Morris and Amber Riley, who played Brittany Pierce and Mercedes Jones on the show respectively, were amongst those present as was
Members of Naya’s family including her father and Ryan Dorsey, her ex-husband and father of her four-year-old son Josey, were also present to identify the body.
Glee stars including Darren Criss, Jane Lynch and Kevin McHale have shared their own personal and heartfelt tributes dedicated to Naya following the discovery of her body.
Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel on the show shared a lengthy post alongside a black and white photo of himself and his former co-star.
“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,” he wrote.
“Her brilliance and humour were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness. She could turn a bad day into a great day with a single remark. She inspired and uplifted people without even trying. Being close to her was both a badge of honour and a suit of armour. Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be. Sending all my love to her wonderful family and her beautiful son.”
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