Revisiting Naya Rivera’s Life and Legacy Five Years After Her Tragic Death

Naya Rivera was a successful actress, caring mother, talented singer and dedicated activist who tragically died in 2020.

Rivera died from drowning while swimming off a rental boat with her son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, in Lake Piru in Ventura County, Calif., on July 8, 2020.

Her son, who was 4 years old at the time, was found asleep on the rental boat later that day. Crews searched for Rivera for five days before finding her body on July 13.

Before her sudden death, Rivera had both a promising career and a flourishing personal life. After years of working as a child actress, Rivera rose to fame with her role as Santana in the hit Fox show Glee, from 2009 to 2015.

In addition to her acting career, Rivera was also a singer who released her own music outside of Glee and a philanthropist who worked with several organizations, including GLAAD, Stand Up to Cancer and the Los Angeles Mission, among others.

From her acting career to her journey as a mother, here is a look back on Naya Rivera’s accomplished life in photos, five years after her death.

Naya Rivera was a child actress and model

Rivera, who was born in January 1987, began pursuing acting and modeling when she was a child.

She got her start by acting in commercials before scoring a role in the CBS sitcom The Royal Family from 1991 to 1992. When she was just 5 years old, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award presented by the Young Artist Foundation.

Naya Rivera had her breakout role on Glee

After working in the entertainment industry for years, Rivera scored her major breakthrough role when she began starring on Glee at 22 years old in 2009.

During her time on the hit Fox show, Rivera played Santana, a high school cheerleader who runs the group. Ahead of the series premiere, Rivera described Santana to Starry Magazine as a “typical high school cheerleader, for the most part. She’s really mean and loves boys. She’s really witty so I love playing her.”

When asked why she wanted to join Glee, Rivera told the outlet, “The first was the chance that we get to sing, dance and act all in the same show. That made me really, really want to book it.”

As the show played out, Santana develops feelings for her best friend, Brittany (Heather Morris), who she later starts a relationship with. She became one of the first openly gay Latinx characters on a major TV show and while Rivera was not gay, she spoke about feeling honored to play Santana.

“I get so many stories of people that the story line truly touched them and hit home for them. It’s created a fan base for me that I never thought I’d have,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. “It’s really cool to see how it’s evolved and it’s given me the greatest fan base in the entire world.”

As a result of her role on Glee, she won a SAG Award, an ALMA Award and earned nominations for a Grammy Award and a BRIT Award.

Naya Rivera continued acting after Glee

In addition to starring on Glee, Rivera also acted in several other TV shows and films. In 2014, Rivera made her feature film debut when she starred in At the Devil’s Door. She also worked on the 2017 movie Mad Families and Batman: The Long Halloween, which was released in 2021 after her death.

After Glee, Rivera acted in Step Up: High Water (2018), Devious Maids (2015) and American Dad (2016). She also appeared as herself on several hit TV shows, including The Real Housewives of Atlanta, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Sugar Race: Extra Sweet.

Naya Rivera sang and danced throughout her life

During her time on Glee, Rivera got to show off her talents as a dancer and singer. She pursued singing both during and after Glee and signed a solo album deal with Columbia Records in 2011.

“I’ve been waiting for this day ever since I was a little girl. It’s always been my dream to release my own music,” she told Rolling Stone in 2013. “I love writing … so to see something that I’ve been wanting to do forever come true is amazing. Seeing my solo stuff on iTunes right now is blowing my mind.”

Rivera released her debut single, “Sorry,” which featured her then-boyfriend Big Sean, in 2013. She went on to create her EP titled My Heart in 2019.

She was an activist and a philanthropist

When she wasn’t performing, Rivera was giving back to charitable organizations and advocating for various causes. She worked with many charities, including The Trevor Project, March of Dimes, GLAAD, Stand Up to Cancer, Get Schooled Foundation, the Los Angeles Mission, the Thirst Project, the Sunshine Foundation and the Elephant Project.

“I feel like that is really important to do [charity work] because I feel like I am so blessed with my job and my life right now that I would love to take time to bowl for a cause. I hope to raise money to help some other people that are in a really tough situation,” she told Starry Magazine in 2009.

Naya Rivera was married to Ryan Dorsey

Rivera dated Ryan Dorsey at the beginning of her time on Glee, and later revealed that she had an abortion right after they temporarily broke up.

“When I made that decision [to have an abortion], I made it by myself, as I feel is the case for a lot of women, and I did not share it with Ryan at the time,” Rivera wrote in her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry.

Rivera told PEOPLE that she told Dorsey about the abortion later on and that he understood her decision.

“He said, ‘In the short time that we dated, I wish that I could have done something to make you feel like you could have trusted me with that information because I would have loved to have been there with you,’ ” Rivera told PEOPLE at the time. “I think it was the kindest, best thing that any man could have ever said in that situation. It just made me love him that much more.”

After dating Dorsey on and off for four years, she quietly married him in a small ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on July 19, 2014.

In November 2016, Rivera filed for divorce after two years of marriage. She initially called off the divorce in October 2017 before refiling later that year in December. They finalized their divorce in June 2018.

“After much consideration, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the couple told PEOPLE in a statement in 2016. “Our priority is and always will be our beautiful son that we share together. We will continue to be great co-parenting partners for him. We ask for respect and privacy for our family during this difficult time.”

Naya Rivera was a dedicated mother

While Rivera and Dorsey were married, she announced that they were expecting their first child together in February 2015.

“Ryan and I feel so blessed and can’t wait to welcome the newest member of our family,” she wrote on her website at the time.

They welcomed their son Josey on Sept. 17, 2015.

“First and foremost, everything I do is for Josey. He’s at the best age! He’s talking so much and [he’s] so cool, kind and sweet,” Rivera told PEOPLE in September 2018. “Josey inspires me in so many ways.”

After Rivera and Dorsey finalized their divorce, they agreed to joint physical custody and amicably co-parented.

Naya Rivera tragically died in July 2020

On July 8, 2020, Rivera was reported missing after a trip to Lake Piru. Rivera and her then-4-year-old son, Josey, had rented a pontoon boat and were swimming in the water.

After the boat was overdue for return, staff at the lake found it on the north side of the body of water with her sleeping son aboard. Authorities announced that the 33-year-old was presumed dead after first conducting a rescue mission, though they continued to search for her in the days that followed.

Rivera’s body was found on July 13, 2020, in a remote part of the lake.

“When it happened, I just found myself shaking my head, like, ‘I can’t believe she’s gone,’ ” Dorsey recalled to PEOPLE in February 2025. “It’s still so surreal every day.”

Dorsey revealed that their son remembers trying to throw a rope to his mom while she swam before she died.

“Something he’s said over and over is that he was trying to find a life raft, and there was a rope, but there was a big spider on the rope, and he was too scared to throw it,” Dorsey said. “I keep reassuring him, ‘Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.’ ”

The father of one added, “He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore. It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.”

Several celebrities, fans and friends mourned Rivera’s death and have shared tributes to her over the years.