Naya Rivera – “Santana” from Glee
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.
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Rivera appeared in commercials for Kmart as a baby, but her first significant acting job was at age 4 when she appeared as Hillary Winston in The Royal Family sitcom in 1991. The show received positive reviews and high ratings initially, but it was canceled soon after star Redd Foxx suffered a sudden heart attack on set, which Rivera witnessed. She received a Young Artist Award nomination for her performance in the series.
Between 1992 and 2002, she had small roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, Live Shot, Baywatch, Smart Guy, House Blend, Even Stevens and The Master of Disguise. In 2002, she also appeared in the music video for B2K’s “Why I Love You”. She then had a guest appearance on The Bernie Mac Show in 2002, before returning to the show for ten episodes throughout its five-season run. She was later featured in episodes of 8 Simple Rules and CSI: Miami. In between auditions and roles, Rivera worked jobs as a telemarketer, a nanny and a greeter at an Abercrombie & Fitch store. In 2006 and 2007, Rivera took part in a production of Mark E. Swinton’s play, U Don’t Know Me: The Musical, both in Los Angeles and when the production was taken on national tour. Rivera auditioned for an unspecified season of American Idol during the San Francisco auditions, and she was cut in the first round.
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Read more of Naya’s bio here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naya_Rivera
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Cory Monteith’s mom remembers Naya Rivera, says she’s ‘reunited for eternity’ with son
By Taryn Ryder, Yahoo Entertainment | Cory Monteith’s mother, Ann McGregor, shared a heartfelt tribute to her late son’s co-star, Naya Rivera. The Glee actress’s body was recovered from Lake Piru on Monday, July 13th – the seventh anniversary of Monteith’s death.
“For the last 7 years the 13th of July has shattered our hearts beyond repair. There aren’t enough words to describe the pain we are feeling, we are truly heartbroken at the loss of [Naya Rivera],” McGregor wrote on Tuesday.
Rivera played Santana Lopez on the hit show throughout Glee’s six season run. Monteith played Finn Hudson until his untimely death in 2013. The actor died of a mixed drug toxicity involving heroin and alcohol.
“Naya, Cory loved you so so much. He cherished your friendship more than you will ever know,” McGregor continued. “From the laughs you shared, to the strength you gave him when he needed it the most. Cory truly adored you. He was in awe of your incredible talent, the way you gave everything you had to each performance; the slap in the auditorium was one of his favourite stories to share.”
In Glee’s “Mash Off” episode, Santana slaps Finn in the face and Rivera surprised Monteith when she actually hit him while filming the scene. They laughed about it in a sweet behind-the-scenes video from 2012 that has been shared in the wake of Rivera’s death.
“You once said Cory was like a member of your family; you will always be a part of ours. We’ll carry you in our hearts forever. We miss you. Friends reunited for eternity,” McGregor concluded. “We send all our love and strength to your beautiful boy, your family, friends and fans.”
Meanwhile, Heather Morris, the Glee co-star whose Brittany teamed with Rivera’s Santana to form the series’ landmark, inspiring same-sex couple, shared her own heartfelt remembrance on Wednesday honoring their “most beautiful friendship.”
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Glee star Kevin McHale tweeted he’s convinced Monteith helped “find our girl.”
“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,” he wrote.
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Read the whole story here:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cory-monteith-mom-naya-rivera-reunited-eternity-son-200016418.html
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Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths…
The deaths that are listed from Wikipedia are those of musicians orothers who have ties to the music business from all over the world. These are our brothers and sisters. Say a prayer for their souls. They will be missed greatly.
July 2020
14: J. J. Lionel, 72, Belgian musician (“La danse des canards”).
12: Rod Bernard, 79, American singer (“This Should Go On Forever”); Judy Dyble, 71, English singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention, Trader Horne), lung cancer; Benjamin Keough, 27, American backup singer [Elvis Presley’s only grandson] (“To Whom It May Concern”), suicide by gunshot; Eleanor Sokoloff, 106, American pianist.
11: Lil Marlo, 30, American rapper, shot; Rich Priske, 52, Canadian bassist, heart attack; Engel Reinhoudt, 74, Dutch troubadour and dialect writer; Gabriella Tucci, 90, Italian operatic soprano.
10: Papa T Bob, 59, Indonesian songwriter, complications from diabetes; Eddie Gale, 78, American jazz trumpeter; Gordon Stone, 70, American bluegrass and fusion musician (Phish); Steve Sutherland, British club and radio disc jockey (Choice FM, Galaxy FM).
9: Patricia Majalisa, 53, South African singer, heart attack.
8: Naya Rivera, 33, American actress (Glee, The Royal Family, At the Devil’s Door), model and singer, drowned.
6: Charlie Daniels, 83, American Hall of Fame country singer-songwriter and musician (“The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, “Uneasy Rider”), Grammy Award winner (1980), hemorrhagic stroke; Pavel Fieber, 78, German-Austrian actor, singer and theatre director; Andrew Kishore, 64, Bangladeshi playback singer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; Ennio Morricone, 91, Italian film composer (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Hateful Eight), Oscar winner (2016), complications from a fall; Joe Porcaro, 90, American percussionist (Toto, The Wrecking Crew).