Naya Rivera

Naya Marie Rivera (January 12, 1987 – July 8, 2020) was an American actress and singer whose career began in childhood and reached its height with her portrayal of Santana Lopez on Fox’s Glee. Born in Valencia, California, to Yolanda Previtire and George Rivera, she was of Puerto Rican descent through her father and had a younger brother, Mychal Rivera, an NFL tight end. Rivera began auditioning as a child and landed her first regular television role as Hillary Winston on the sitcom The Royal Family (1991–1992). She went on to guest roles in Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Baywatch, Even Stevens, and 8 Simple Rules, building a long résumé before adulthood.

Rivera’s breakthrough came in 2009 when she was cast as Santana Lopez, a cheerleader at McKinley High, in Glee. Initially a recurring presence, she became a series regular as Santana’s story expanded from sharp-tongued cheerleader to a central character in the show’s LGBTQ storylines; her coming-out arc included the season three episode “I Kissed a Girl.” Her on-screen relationship with Brittany S. Pierce, played by Heather Morris, became known to fans as “Brittana,” and Rivera’s musical numbers—including “River Deep, Mountain High” with Amber Riley, “Valerie,” and “Songbird”—helped define the show’s use of pop covers. She remained with Glee through its sixth and final season in 2015.

After Glee, Rivera was signed to Columbia Records and released the single “Sorry” featuring Big Sean in 2013. She later published a memoir, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up (2016), which became a New York Times bestseller. She joined the cast of Devious Maids in 2015 and played Collette Jones in the YouTube Red series Step Up: High Water from 2018. Her film credits included At the Devil’s Door (2014) and Mad Families (2017). In her personal life, she married actor Ryan Dorsey in 2014; their son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, was born in 2015, and the couple divorced in 2018.

Rivera died on July 8, 2020, at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, after she and her son went boating; her son was found safe on the boat, and Rivera’s body was recovered on July 13. The Ventura County medical examiner ruled her death an accidental drowning. Her Glee co-stars and fans honored her after her death, and her performance as Santana remains the work most closely associated with her career.