Cory Monteith's Mom Pays Tribute to Naya Rivera, Says Late Son 'Loved' His Glee Costar 'So Much'

Robyn Merrett
·4 min read

Cory Monteith's mom is paying tribute to Naya Rivera, whose body was recovered from a California lake on the seventh anniversary of her son's death.

On Tuesday, Ann McGregor shared a slideshow of photos of Rivera and Monteith, alongside a touching caption, to the Cory's Law Instagram account — a page she set up in 2015 to continue "Cory's legacy of helping others."

"For the last seven years, the 13th of July has shattered our hearts beyond repair," McGregor began of her son's death. Monteith was 31 when he died of a heroin overdose in 2013.

"There aren't enough words to describe the pain we are feeling, we are truly heartbroken at the loss of @NayaRivera," McGregor continued.

"Naya, Cory loved you so so much. He cherished your friendship more than you will ever know. From the laughs you shared, to the strength you gave him when he needed it most. Cory truly adored you," she said.

McGregor shared that her late son was in "awe" of Rivera's "incredible talent and the way you gave everything you had to each performance; the slap in the auditorium was one of his favourite stories to share."

View this post on Instagram

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 @nayarivera . Naya, Cory loved you so so much. He cherished your friendship more than you will ever know. 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. 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. We send all our love and strength to your beautiful boy, your family, friends and fans 💔🐻💔

A post shared by Cory’s Law (@coryslaw) on Jul 14, 2020 at 2:11pm PDT

"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 continued.

RELATED: Naya Rivera's Body Found on the 7th Anniversary of Glee Costar Cory Monteith's Death

She concluded her message by sending her "love and strength" to Rivera's young son, her family, friends and fans.

Law officials confirmed on Monday that they had recovered Rivera's body at Lake Piru five days after the 33-year-old actress was reported missing during a boat trip with her son.

"We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera," Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said in a news conference. "It has been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal ... our hearts are with them and we share in their grief for Naya’s loss."

CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images Naya Rivera and son Josey

Ayub said Rivera's 4-year-old son, Josey Dorsey, told investigators that they swam in the lake together and "he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water" after she helped him onto their rented pontoon boat.

RELATED: Lea Michele Pays Tribute to Late Glee Costars Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith

"We believe that she mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself," Ayub later added.

As Rivera's family mourns the Glee star’s tragic death, her ex-husband Ryan Dorsey is still reeling from the news.

“Ryan has barely slept,” a source said in the latest issue of PEOPLE. “It’s just a nightmare. Although he wasn’t with Naya, it’s Josey’s mom. Josey needs his mom.”

“Ryan can’t imagine raising Josey without Naya. It’s the most devastating situation," the source said about Dorsey, who was married to Rivera from 2014 to 2018.