Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, and more celebrities react to 'Glee' star Naya Rivera's death at 33
- On Monday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department confirmed that "Glee" star Naya Rivera was found dead in Lake Piru, California.
- Authorities said they were "confident" that the body was Rivera's and added that there was no indication of foul play or that it was a suicide.
- Since news broke of the actor's death, celebrities like Jane Lynch, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Ashley Benson have shared reactions on social.
Celebrities are reacting to the death of 33-year-old "Glee" star Naya Rivera.
On Monday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department confirmed that her body was found in Lake Piru, California, five days after she went missing. Sheriff Bill Ayub said that the body was found floating near the surface of the water in the northern portion of the lake, with no indication of foul play or that this was a suicide.
Rivera rented a pontoon boat on Wednesday for her and 4-year-old son Josey, who was found alone on the boat hours later. Authorities said they were "confident" that the body discovered was Rivera's and it will be positively identified after an autopsy is performed in Ventura. The autopsy will also determine the cause of death.
Reactions regarding the death of Rivera, known for her portrayal of cheerleader and New Directions member Santana Lopez, started appearing on social media hours before the official briefing due to a report from TMZ.
ABC 7 also shared footage earlier in the day that showed "Glee" stars gathered at Lake Piru and holding hands.
The day Rivera's body was found also marked the seventh anniversary of the death of costar Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson), who died of an overdose in July 2013 at 31 years old.
With the confirmation from the sheriff's department, many more stars have begun sharing tributes for the actress.
"Glee" star Jane Lynch, who portrayed cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, wrote: "Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family."
Chris Colfer, who starred as Kurt Hummel, shared a photo of himself and Rivera on Instagram, along with a heartfelt caption.
"How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post? How can you summarize a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone? If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can't," the actor wrote.
He continued: "Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness. She could turn a bad day into a great day with a single remark. She inspired and uplifted people without even trying. Being close to her was both a badge of honor and a suit of armor. Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be."
Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) honored Monteith and Rivera with black-and-white photos posted on her Instagram.
Harry Shum Jr. (Mike Chang) shared a lengthy note explaining that he was "failing miserably to process this news."
"To many people, myself included, you were the life of the party," the actor wrote. "Not only able to rock when fun was to be had after a long day but that shining friend that was always willing to listen, offer sympathy, perspective and at times, give much-needed levity to any situation."
Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams) said that he and Rivera recently spoke "about running away to Hawaii," and "this doesn't make sense."
"She was the single most quick-witted person I've ever met, with a steel-trap memory that could recall the most forgettable conversations from a decade ago verbatim," he wrote. "The amount of times she would memorize all of those crazy monologues on Glee the morning of and would never ever mess up during the scene… I mean, she was clearly more talented than the rest of us. She was the most talented person I've ever known. There is nothing she couldn't do and I'm furious we won't get to see more."
McHale also reacted to a video of Rivera and Monteith greeting fans and wrote: "I'm not religious by any means, but you'd be hard-pressed to convince me that Cory didn't help find our girl today. These 2, in many ways, were the male and female versions of one another. So nice, cared deeply, were stupidly talented, the most fun, and really really good people."
Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang) said that Rivera "shined on stage and screen and radiated with love behind closed doors."
"Our friendship went in waves as life happens and we grow, so I will not look back and regret but know I love you and promise to help the legacy of your talent, humor, light, and loyalty live on," the actress wrote.
Darren Criss (Blaine Anderson) called Rivera "bold," "outrageous," and "a LOT of fun."
"She played by her own rules and was in a class of her own," he said in posts shared on Instagram and Twitter. "She had a brashness about her that I couldn't help but be enchanted by. I also always loved her voice, and savored every chance I got to hear her sing. I think she had more talent than we would have ever been able to see."
Criss added: "I was constantly moved by the degree to which she took care of her family, and how she looked out for her friends. She showed up for me on numerous occasions where she didn't have to, and I was always so grateful for her friendship then, as I certainly am now."
Amber Riley (Mercedes Jones) called Rivera her "favorite duet partner" and shared a video of Rivera and Dorsey singing together.
Becca Tobin, who starred as cheerleader Kitty Wilde, called Rivera "insanely talented, breathtakingly gorgeous, and one of the wittiest people I've ever met."
Demi Lovato, who appeared on "Glee" during season five as Rivera's love interest named Dani, spoke about the impact of Santana on queer fans.
"I'll forever cherish the opportunity to play your girlfriend on Glee," Lovato said. "The character you played was groundbreaking for tons of closeted queer girls (like me at the time) and open queer girls, and your ambition and accomplishments were inspiring to Latina women all over the world."
Jacob Artist, who joined the show during season four as Jake Puckerman, wrote: "i was so intimided meeting naya for the first time. i was a fish out of water and her warmth was disarming. for all her gifts as a performer she was also gifted as a person and made anyone feel seen and included."
"Supergirl" star Melissa Benoist, who played Marley Rose on "Glee," said: "There was an undeniable beauty that she radiated inside and out, and I consider myself incredibly lucky that I got to witness that up close even for the short period of time that I did."
Benoist added: "She was kind and open to me when she didn't have to be, when I was a naive, clueless and insecure newcomer. Bravely authentic, genuinely kind, incredibly talented and deeply loved by so many."
Alex Newell, who joined "Glee" during season two as Unique Adams, wrote: "Now more than ever we must lift her family and friends up especially Josey! My heart is sent to them... Josey you are truly loved by every single person who loves your mommy! I love you Naya!"
Kristin Chenoweth, who guest-starred as April Rhodes on "Glee," shared a photo previously posted by Rivera and wrote: "Thank you for what you gave the world. I love you."
Max George, who appeared on season six as Vocal Adrenaline member Clint, called Rivera's death "absolutely devastating."
"Glee" stars Iqbal Theba (Principal Figgins), Max Adler (Dave Karofsky), and Vanessa Lengies (Sugar Motta) also reacted to the news.
Additional reactions were shared by "Glee" guest stars Peter Facinelli and Kathy Griffin.
NeNe Leakes, who had a recurring role as Roz Washington, wrote: "I wanted you to come home to your baby so bad. This hurts! I will hold the memories close to my heart and remember the good times, the laughs and the way we would cut up on set. Those were fun times!"
Bebe Rexha recalled dining with Rivera after working together in a music studio.
"This is an absolute nightmare," she wrote. "I had the pleasure of having dinner with her once after a recording session we did together and she was an absolute sweetheart. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I hope I'm lucky enough to meet you up in heaven. Rest In Peace Naya Rivera."
"Frozen" star Josh Gad said that he was "sick to my stomach."
"Pose" cocreator Steven Canals wrote: "I'll never be able to articulate the importance of seeing Naya, a Black Puerto Rican, portraying a queer Afro-Latina on primetime TV. I'm heartbroken over all the stories that will remain untold."
Singer Kehlani also spoke about how moved she was by Rivera's cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird," which was performed on season two, episode 19 of "Glee" when Santana opened up to Brittany Pierce about how she felt about her.
"Riverdale" star Lili Reinhart called the news "heartbreaking" and said that Rivera was a "beautiful talent."
Additional tributes came from "Pretty Little Liars" alum Ashley Benson, "Black Lightning" star Nafessa Williams, "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Yvette Nicole Brown (who costarred on "The Royal Family" with Rivera), and more.