Naya Rivera was taken too soon.
Naya was a triple threat: Quadruple and quintuple if you count her beauty and motherhood. At 33 years old we lost her in a terrible manner. I’m sure everyone reading this knows about it and I will not dwell on her tragic loss. I want to share a few things that I loved about her, why I admired her, and just talk about why she made an impact on so many people’s lives. To me, Naya was everything. I grew up loving music and the spotlight and then Naya came into my life portraying Santana Lopez on the hit TV series “Glee”. From that moment you could hear me say that I wanted to be like her, sound like her and even look like her. Her talent and soul were unmatched and for me, it was quite easy to see.
Let this article be a love letter to her, her family, and loved ones as she was a beauty inside and out. I never got the chance to meet her. But sometimes, in this lifetime, there are people who let off an energy that is felt by all. She was one of those people.
Those who knew Naya are familiar with her work on “Glee”. The series gave her the opportunity to let her talents shine. The show introduced her to the world. She literally opened a door to a marginalized community in a very public and in your face way. Naya and Heather Morris portraying a badass lesbian high school couple on “Glee” was a pivotal moment in the entertainment world which had lasting positive effects that reflected in real life too. I had a gay friend in high school. She looked up to Naya and Heather Morris portrayed with such courage and freedom. I could see through my friend the love and support Naya and Heather’s work brought to so many girls. They achieved such success with their roles, success that is measured by girls and women everywhere who now feel comfortable in their skin and are not afraid to be who they are.
It was clear that Naya’s son Josey was everything to her. If you read Naya’s book or saw any interview after he was born, you could feel her love for him. Josey was and is her best and biggest achievement. At 4 ½ he has all the love his mother ever had to give, that is something that can never be replaced.
Naya cared so much about her family and friends. She often talked about how much she loved her mother, father, and siblings Nickalya and Miychal. Also for ex-husband Ryan, who is Josey’s father. This was a common theme you could hear from her, she had so much love to give and she shared it. She also had so much love for friends. If you are a big Naya fan or have followed her for years, you know of Madison. Madison was her best friend from childhood, she was always a part of Naya’s life, they were very close. Another friendship that resonated with fans the most was that with Heather Morris. The two were indeed close in real life as well.
Naya had an incredible voice. Her singing was something extremely special. Though we mostly heard cover songs from her, on “Glee”, it was still such a special experience. Her voice was unique and so full of soul. She could belt out a broadway ballad, or riff through some sassy R&B. Or, and my favorite, give us chills with an emotional piece in which you could hear the love she poured into every word. We should all take a second to realize that we witnessed greatness and be grateful we were let into her heart through her art.
I loved Naya, so many people did. The social media outpouring of love was incredible on the days that the search team was still looking for her, and even now that we know she is gone. Thank you to the Ventura County police department, and all of the departments and teams that searched for her. There is a community lifting each other up and helping one another through the loss of a great performer, musician, daughter, sister, and friend.
At this time I send so much love to her partner in crime Madison who she shared so many great life experiences with and to Naya’s family, we love you and will carry you through this. To her fellow fans, I see you and we need to continue to support each other. Lastly, to Josey, you will be loved by your mommy every single day and we will never let you forget her. We will keep her alive in our hearts for you.
Let’s all remember Naya sweetly.
Featured Image credit to @Andrei.oniga.art
Written by Jadeen Mercado
