Naya Marie Rivera (January 12, 1987 – July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model.She began her career as a child actress and model, appearing in national television commercials before landing the role of Hillary Winston on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Royal Family at the age of four (1991–1992).For the part she received a nomination for a Young Artist Award. Though she'll always be remembered for her role as the unstoppable Santana Lopez on Fox's comedy musical series, others are recalling her days as a spirited child actor with a bright future. "I didn’t know that was Naya Rivera on Family Matters In 1993, Rivera played a girl named Cindy in an episode of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and, in 1996, played a girl lost on the beach in an episode of "Authorities believe Rivera drowned in Lake Piru while boating with her 4-year-old son on July 8. Naya Rivera was born on January 12, 1987 in Valencia, California, USA as Naya Marie Rivera. A young Naya Rivera in a scene with Jaleel White's Steve Urkel on "Family Matters." As she could not read the scripts, she would learn her lines through recitation and memorize them. Her family thanked them for the "outpouring of love" in a message shared on July 15.The media noted that Rivera's body was found on the anniversary of the death of her co-star Cory Monteith seven years earlier;A memorial to Rivera was constructed under the Lake Piru sign in the days after her death.In 2012 Rivera was featured on a single by the music duo 2Cellos, performing a cover of the Muse song "Supermassive Black Hole".Rivera was first nominated for an award at the age of 5, in 1992, but did not win one until 2010, eighteen years later. Naya Rivera, Actress: Glee. But Rivera and her beloved Romero also elaborated on the impact of Rivera appearing on television with her darker skin tone, noting that, even in 2020, shows with prominent Afro-Latinx performers – with the exception of Other elements of her queer representation as Santana in Soon after her split from Big Sean, Rivera rekindled her relationship with Ryan Dorsey and they were married in In January 2015, during an appearance as a guest host on Rivera notably supported various charities, particularly for the LGBT+ community and immigrants.Best known for lesbian character Santana, Rivera also championed LGBT+ rights off-screen.In other charitable endeavors, Rivera volunteered at Los Angeles area food banks and homeless sheltersRivera wrote on her religion in her memoir, and was a lifelong On July 11 and 12, Rivera's parents and stepfather, brother, ex-husband Ryan Dorsey and close friend and co-star Heather Morris joined the search team at the lake.On July 13, it was announced that a body had been found floating in Lake Piru by divers when the search resumed in the morning, at around 9:30 a.m.;Fans of Rivera posted messages of support during the time of her disappearance, and tributes after she was found dead. Comedian and talk show host Loni Love is among them, posting last week "She's 4 years old, but actually she's 40," comedy legend Redd Foxx is seen quipping in the clip.
"On July 13, officials announced a body had been located in the search for Rivera — exactly seven years after fellow "Glee" co-star Cory Monteith's tragic death at age 31.Lake Piru is about 56 miles north-northwest of Los Angeles.Samantha Kubota is a digital journalist and editor for Before Naya Rivera starred in "Glee," she had several smaller roles as a child and even sat down with Arsenio Hall.Trending stories,celebrity news and all the best of TODAY.As a child actor, Naya Rivera had small roles in several shows, including "Family Matters." "We're presuming that an accident happened and we're presuming that she drowned in the lake," Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Dyer said last week, adding that there were no signs of foul play or anything that went wrong "besides a tragic accident. Kellie S. Williams from "Family Matters" posted a touching tribute to Naya Rivera along with a throwback photo from the late actress's appearance on the 90s show. Here, she's seen in a 1992 episode alongside Bryton James.A young Naya Rivera in a scene with Jaleel White's Steve Urkel on "Family Matters."
Naya Rivera's family speaks out, remembers the star as a ‘beautiful legend’: 'Heaven gained our sassy angel' The 33-year-old actress died of accidental drowning