As the family of Naya Rivera continues to grieve the loss of the actress, her younger sister has made her first public tribute. Runway model Nickayla Rivera penned a touching Instagram post for her sister.
“Sister, There are no words to describe my love for you,” Nickayla wrote. “Side by side or miles apart, our connection is infinite. Our bond is unbreakable. We were complete opposites, yet simultaneously the same. The yin to my yang. I never knew that by losing you, I would find so much of you in myself. I’ve never known a life without you in it & still can’t imagine it. My world is turned upside down. But through it all, everything we were, we are still. I’ll always look at you with the same eyes as I did when I was young. My shmaya, I’ll love you for eternity & miss you every second of my life.”
Nickayla is the youngest of three siblings. Naya was the oldest, and their brother, former NFL tight end Mychal Rivera, is the second.
Naya’s ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, and the father of their young son Josey, also made his first public statement about the loss of Naya, sharing a tribute for her on Instagram.
“This is so unfair,” Dorsey wrote. “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. You were just here… We were just in the back swimming with Josey the day before. Life just isn’t fair…” He added, “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.”
Dorsey also expressed gratitude to his followers following the devastating news about Naya. “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. 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.”
The body of Naya was found in Lake Piru, California on July 13, days after the Glee actress was reported missing. Officials said the cause of death was an accidental drowning.
