Demi Lovato, Heather Morris & More Pray for Naya Rivera As the Search for the ‘Glee’ Actress Continues

Julie Sprankles
·5 min read

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In the wake of news that Naya Rivera is missing following a boating trip, celebrities are sharing their prayers for the 33-year-old’s safe return. The actress, best known for her breakout role as Santana Lopez on the musical series Glee, became the center of a search-and-rescue mission on Wednesday night after a pontoon she’d rented was found with her 4-year-old son Josey aboard alone. Now, as the search continues, her co-stars and friends have taken to social media to spread messages of hope.

Authorities with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department declared that Rivera was officially missing based on identification found aboard the recovered pontoon. She reportedly rented the boat to go swimming in Lake Piru around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, and the boat (with Josey) was found roughly three hours later. The young boy told authorities that he and his mother had been swimming, but that she went into the water and never came back out. Although the search was suspended late Wednesday evening, it resumed Thursday morning. At the time of this article, Rivera has still not been found but authorities say she is presumed to have drowned. Her son, Josey, is “in good health,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Captain Eric Buschow told the Los Angeles Times.

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In light of this information, Demi Lovato, Heather Morris and more have taken to social media in response to the news about their missing friend and co-star. You can read their reactions below.

Demi Lovato

When Lovato guest-starred on Glee, she played a brief love interest of Rivera’s character. Taking to her Instagram Stories, she shared a photo of a lit candle, writing, “Please pray for @nayarivera to be found safe and sound.”

Heather Morris

Morris, who played Rivera’s onscreen wife Brittany S. on Glee, pleaded on her Instagram Story, “We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us. We need your love and light.”

Harry Shum Jr.

Shum Jr., who co-starred with Rivera on Glee as Mike Chang, simply tweeted, “Praying.”

Iqbal Theba

The reaction of Theba, who played Glee’s Principal Figgins, proved heart-wrenching. “Oh God… mercy… please… Actress Naya Rivera, known for ‘Glee’ missing and may have drowned after going boating on Lake Piru.”

Jackée Harry

Harry shared a sweet throwback clip of herself and Rivera on The Royal Family in the ‘90s. “Prayers up for the lovely Naya Rivera,” she captioned the video. “We starred alongside one another in her very first television series, The Royal Family, and I’ve watched her career blossom ever since. Please God, don’t cut this life short.”

And the prayers keep coming as other celebrities share their heartfelt concern for Rivera.

 

 

Currently, Lake Piru is closed to the public while the search for Rivera continues. This post will be updated with any new information as it becomes available.

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