Heather Morris shares heartbreaking tribute to Glee co-star Naya Rivera

Morris, who played Rivrea's on-screen girlfriend on Glee, said she "cherish[es] every moment" they had together
John Shearer/Getty Images for EW
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Heather Morris has paid an emotional tribute to her former Glee co-star and close friend Naya Rivera, whose body was found at a lake in California.

Rivera, 33, was on a boating trip with her four-year-old son Josey Hollis at Lake Piru when she drowned. Her death was ruled an accident by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Morris played cheerleader Brittany Pierce on TV musical-comedy Glee, while Rivera played her on-screen girlfriend Santana Lopez.

The pair became close friends and Morris joined Rivera’s family at the lake during their agonising wait for news.

Morris has now shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying they “created the most beautiful friendship built out of love and understanding.”

Morris wrote of her "beautiful friendship" with her co-star
Jerod Harris/Getty Images for MySpace

She revealed details of the last time they met and said Nivera left her two succulent plants, adding “I look at them everyday and think of you.”

Morris said she listens to Rivera’s EP “on repeat,” because “from the moment I heard it, it struck me and I always wished the world knew more of your voice.”

She added: “You always shared recipes and I admired your love for food. We vowed to spend every Easter together, even though Covid stole this last one from us.

“You are and always will be the strongest and most resilient human being I know, and I vowed to carry that with me as I continue to live my life.”

Naya Rivera - In pictures

1/18

Morris, 33, posted pictures of her and Rivera’s children playing together, explaining: “We never took photos together because we mutually hated taking pictures…our relationship meant more than proof.”

Morris added: “I speak to you everyday because I know you’re still with me and even though I’m feeling greedy that we don’t get more time together, I cherish every moment we had and hold it close to my heart.”

Rivera’s death was confirmed on Monday when her body was recovered from Lake Piru, a popular spot for swimmers about 56 miles north-west of central Los Angeles.

Police said her final act may have been to help her son back onto their rented boat before she became too exhausted to save herself.

Other Glee stars, including Darren Criss, Demi Lovato and Gwyneth Paltrow, also shared tributes to Rivera.

With reporting by Press Association

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in