Just two weeks after news of Naya Rivera's death was confirmed, the actress' ex, Ryan Dorsey, released a heartbreaking statement.
Ryan Dorsey, the father of Naya Rivera’s son, is absolutely devastated by news that the Glee actress has died. “This is so unfair…there’s not enough words to express the hole left in everyone’s hearts. I can’t believe this is life now. I don’t know if I’ll ever believe it,” he began his lengthy and deeply emotional post on Instagram, shared Saturday, July 25. “You were just here… We were just in the back swimming with Josey the day before. Life just isn’t fair. I don’t know what to say…I’m thankful for our times and our journey that brought us together and gave us the sweetest and kindest smart little boy we could ever hope for,” he reflected, referencing their 4-year-old son.
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“I remember sometimes you used to get annoyed at me: ‘Ryan can you stop snap chatting!’ Haha. I’m glad I didn’t listen to you because I have hundreds and probably thousands of snaps and videos that Josey will have forever and know his momma loved him more than life, and how much fun we had together as he was growing up,” the actor penned, captioning a romantic photo him holding Naya at sunset. “Life is all about good times and bad times but with Josey it makes the bad a little less so because a part of you will always be with us. He’ll never forget where he came from. We miss you. We will always love you. Love you Meep,” he sweetly added, referencing a nickname for Naya and including a heartbroken emoji.
Ryan went on to acknowledge those who have reached out to him through this difficult time. “To everyone that reached out and I haven’t had a chance to or just didn’t get back to you…thank you all for the overwhelming love and support you’ve sent our way,” he explained, urging his followers to take one piece of advice. “I’ll just say in closing, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, forgive…forget…don’t hold grudges….if you have nothing nice to say maybe try not to say anything. There’s peace in silence. Time on Earth is precious and you just never know….you never know what could happen. Hold your loved ones close, and cherish the times you have with those you care about,” he concluded.
Naya and Ryan were first together in 2016. In her 2016 memoir, Naya revealed that she had an abortion at the time, due to her career beginning to take off on Glee. The two eventually broke up, and Naya got engaged to Big Sean in 2013. However, she split from the rapper in April 2014, and wound up marrying Ryan on July 25 of that year — the same day she was originally supposed to marry Sean. Naya and Ryan welcomed their son Josy together in Sept 2015.
Unfortunately, their relationship had several ups and downs after that. Naya filed for divorce in Nov. 2016, but the couple worked things out, and she called off the split in Oct. 2017. Just one month later, though, Naya was arrested for domestic battery after an incident with the actor. She re-filed for divorce in Dec. 2017. Ryan eventually decided to drop the charges against Naya, and they came to an agreement for shared custody of their son. The divorce was finalized in June 2018.
Naya was boating with her and Ryan’s son when she went missing on the evening of July 8. Officials found Josey asleep on the boat that Naya rented for the pair on Lake Piru, in Southern California, hours earlier. The four-year-old was found with a life vest on, while an adult life vest was also found at the scene. At the time, officials confirmed that the child told them that his mother did not get back on the boat after they went in the water for a swim. The initial search for Naya had to be suspended after just a few hours once it got dark. The search resumed on the morning of July 9. Our thoughts are with Naya’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
