Glee 's Heather Morris Admits 'Today Is Hard' as She Marks Late Costar Naya Rivera's 36th Birthday

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Heather Morris continues to have late Glee costar Naya Rivera on her mind.

On her Instagram Story Thursday, Morris, 35, spoke out in honor of what would have been Rivera's 36th birthday.

"Happy birthday bebe," the dancer began. "Today is hard. Missing you everyday, but today especially."

RELATED: Glee Cast: Then & Now

heather morris/instagram

Morris isn't the only one to share a public tribute for Rivera on Thursday. The late performer's ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, posted a carousel of photos of the actress with the pair's 7-year-old son, Josey Hollis, alongside a heartbreaking caption.

"A little easier with each little bit of time that passes by to look at pictures … but I still don't have the answers to the questions to the why's our sweet boy asks from time to time. I never will," he wrote. "Doing the best we can."

The 39-year-old Big Sky actor continued, "🕊️🦋Fly high 🦋🕊️ If you're reading this no matter what you're going through, take a moment of gratitude that you're still here on this ride. I know some days are harder than others to get up, but keep we just gotta keep pushing onward. 🫶."

RELATED: Heather Morris Says Late Glee Costar Naya Rivera Confronted Her About Her Eating Disorder

Araya Diaz/WireImage Rivera

Rivera died suddenly in July 2020 at age 33. She had been reported missing after embarking on a boating trip with her son, who was 4, at the time, at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Her body was discovered in the water after authorities conducted a days-long search effort.

Several Glee cast members, including Morris, Amber Riley and Kevin McHale, gathered at Lake Piru around that time to show their support.

An autopsy later determined Rivera's cause of death to be an accidental drowning, and authorities determined that she likely saved Josey by putting him back on board the boat before she died. She was laid to rest on July 24, 2020.

RELATED VIDEO: Glee Cast Remembers Naya Rivera with Tribute at the GLAAD Awards: 'Her Best Role Was Her Being a Mom'

This past summer, former stars of the Fox musical series paid tribute to Rivera on the two-year anniversary of her death, including Morris.

At the time, Morris posted silly photos of the duo and wrote: "Everyday my angel. I miss you every damn day."

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Morris also reflected on their friendship while appearing on a recent episode of the And That's What You REALLY Missed podcast, hosted by her former costars McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz, and revealed that Rivera confronted her about her eating disorder while on the Glee concert tour.

"I can't remember exactly what she was saying, but she was approaching me about my eating disorder because I know she herself had eating disorders, and she was very open about it in her book. So she of course was the first to speak up about it," explained Morris.

"That's who she was. She was just always ready to talk about it," Morris added.