Naya Rivera's Ex-Husband Speaks for First Time on 'Glee' Star's Death

Ahead of the five-year anniversary of Glee cast member Naya Rivera‘s death, her ex-husband Ryan Dorsey recounted her final days and raising their nine year old, in an interview with People.

“I’m here in L.A. working at Warner Bros., and Forest Lawn Cemetery [where she’s buried] is on the other side,” Dorsey, 41, told People. “So many songs make me think about her, like Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie,’ which she sang on Glee, and ‘Sunflower’ by [Post Malone and Swae Lee] because I always used to get her sunflowers on Sundays.”

Dorsey first learned of Rivera’s disappearance from a family relative while grocery shopping, People reported, and sped 145 miles to Lake Piru, where Rivera and her son Josey went boating.

“If we’d have lost both Naya and Josey, I don’t know how I would continue on with my life,” Dorsey said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been good.”

Local authorities first reported Rivera missing after boating on a lake near Los Angeles in July 2020. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office also reported her four-year-old son was found alone in their rented boat on Lake Piru, located in the Los Padres National Forest, unharmed wearing a life vest. An adult vest was found on the boat, with a spokesperson stating at the time, “This may well be a case of drowning.” Search and rescue divers searched for Rivera’s body for five days, and the county sheriff confirmed her death on July 13.

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

Dorsey later filed a wrongful death lawsuit with Ventura County, which was settled in 2022.

Rivera became known for her role as the sassy cheerleader Santana Lopez across Glee‘s six seasons. She started her acting career at age four on Eddie Murphy’s short-lived sitcom The Royal Family and made guest appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, Baywatch, and Smart Guy. Rivera married Dorsey in July 2014, three months after Rivera’s split with Big Sean.

Dorsey added that he plans to throw a “blowout” birthday for their son’s 10th birthday in September. “I’m trying to be the best parent that I can be and raise a good little man,” he said. “He gives me a reason to keep going with my life.”