Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera Biography

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 (1991–1992) at the age of four. For the part she received a nomination for a Young Artist Award. After a series of recurring television roles and guest spots as a teenager, Rivera received her breakthrough role as Santana Lopez on the Fox television series Glee (2009–2015). For the role, she received nominations for numerous awards and critical acclaim. Rivera was signed to Columbia Records as a solo musical artist in 2011 and—despite never releasing a studio album—released a single, "Sorry", featuring rapper Big Sean, in 2013. On film, Rivera made her debut as Vera in the horror film At the Devil's Door (2014) before playing a supporting role in the comedy film Mad Families (2017). Her personal life garnered significant press and media attention throughout her career. In 2016, she published a memoir titled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up. On July 8, 2020, Rivera was declared a missing person after her four-year-old son, Josey, was found alone in Rivera's rented BoAt at Lake Piru, near Santa Clarita, California. Her body was recovered from the lake on the morning of July 13 following a five-day search.