Who is Naya Rivera? Here are some lesser-known facts about the 'Glee' actor

Hollywood actor Naya Rivera passed away after she drowned in Lake Piru near Los Angeles. She was 33 years old. Naya Rivera’s body was found after days of extensive search and she was declared dead by the Ventura Police department. Naya was best known for essaying the role of Santana Lopez in the popular television show, Glee. Here is everything to know about the actor.

Naya Rivera Family

Naya Rivera was born on January 12, 1987, in Santa Clarita, California. She was raised in Valencia neighbourhood and has always lived around or in Los Angeles. Naya Rivera was born to a former model, Yolanda Riviera, and George Rivera. She is the eldest among three children and has a brother who is a former NFL player Mychal Rivera and a younger sister Nickayla Riviera, who is a runway model.

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Naya Rivera was engaged to rapper Big Sean in 2013, but they called off their engagement the next year. Naya married actor Ryan Dorsey after dating him for a few months in 2014. However, it has been revealed that Naya dated Ryan for four years around 2010, before calling it quits. Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey tied the knot in Mexico in July 2014. The couple soon revealed that they were expecting their first child in 2015.

In September that year, the couple welcomed a son Josey Hollis. Naya Rivera filed for divorce after two years of marriage in 2016. However, the couple called off their separation in October 2017 only to re-file for divorce in December 2017. Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey finalised their divorce in June 2018. The couple reportedly shared joint custody of their son.

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Naya Rivera Career

Naya Rivera was reportedly represented by her mother’s talent manager at the age of eight or nine months. The actor appeared in national commercials as a baby but bagged her first significant acting role at the age of four. Naya Rivera appeared as Hillary Winston on the short-lived sitcom The Royal Family. Naya Rivera did many small roles in television shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Baywatch, and Family Matters, amongst others.

She then landed her first big role in 2009, when she was cast for the role of Santana Lopez, a high school cheerleader in the show, Glee. Naya achieved a lot of success and critical acclaim for her role in the popular show. She later became a solo musical artist, however, she never released a studio album. In 2013, she released a single titled Sorry with rapper Big Sean.

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Naya Rivera made her Hollywood debut with the 2014 horror film At The Devil’s Door where she played the role of Vera. She also played a supporting role in the comedy film Mad families in 2017. In September 2016, Naya Rivera wrote a memoir titled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes and Growing Up.

Naya Rivera Death 

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Naya Rivera reportedly took a pontoon boat to the Lake Riviera in Los Angeles with her four-year-old son. According to her son, they both went swimming, however, Naya Rivera never made it back on board. On Thursday, July 9, 2020, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kevin Donoghue reportedly stated in a press conference that they are switching from ‘rescue operation’ to ‘search and recovery operation’.

After an extensive search for about six days, Ventura Sherrif previously announced that they have recovered a body from the lake in which Naya Rivera went missing. The officials held a press conference where they revealed they confirmed that the body found is that of Naya Rivera. They reportedly stated that Naya Rivera’s family has been notified about the developments.

According to a news agency AP, Ventura County Sheriff's officials confirmed at an afternoon news conference that the body that search crews found floating in the northeast corner of Lake Piru earlier in the day was that of the 33-year-old Rivera. The body was flown 40 miles (64 kilometres) to the coroner's office in Ventura, where an autopsy would be conducted, Sheriff's Capt. Eric Buschow said.

(With Inputs from AP)

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