Naya Rivera’s Sister Nickayla Mourns Her Death In First Post Since Her Tragic Passing

Naya Rivera's little sister Nickayla posted a touching black and white photo of the two of them and a heartbreaking message that revealed she's 'never known a life without' her big sister and 'can't imagine it.'

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Naya Rivera is being remembered by her younger sister, Nickayla, 25, just two and a half weeks after her tragic passing from an accidental drowning at the age of 33. The grieving sibling shared a black and white photo of her and the Glee star from when they were younger and added a sweet and devastating message to it that gave her followers a glimpse into her grief. “Sister,⁣ There are no words to describe my love for you. Side by side or miles apart, our connection is infinite. Our bond is unbreakable,” she wrote alongside the pic, which showed a smiling young Naya holding onto her little sister who was giving her a kiss on the cheek. 

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“We were complete opposites, yet simultaneously the same,” she continued. “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. 🤍,” she ended the heartbreaking post.

Nickayla’s message to Naya came on the same day Naya’s ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, 37, who is also the father of her four-year-old son Josey, shared his own message about her loss on Instagram. He added a pic that showed the loving late mother embracing her little boy while sitting outside in the sunlight and wrote about how her death was “unfair” and left a “hole in everyone’s hearts” but vowed that their son will “never forget where he came from.” He also thanked everyone that reached out to him during this difficult time and gave his followers a reminder that “time on Earth is precious” and advised them to “hold loved ones close.”

Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera died after a tragic accidental drowning at Lake Piru in California on July 8, 2020. (RE/Westcom/STAR MAX/IPx)
Naya’s shocking death at Lake Piru on July 8 has brought on tributes from not only her family members, but also from many of her former co-stars, including various Glee actors such as Heather Morris, who played the love interest to her character Santana in the FOX series, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, and more. Her ex-boyfriend Big Sean also shared a tribute to her and expressed his disbelief at the news of her sudden passing.
Before her death was confirmed when her body was found in the lake on July 13, Naya was missing for five days after she went boating and swimming with Josey. The little boy was found sleeping alone on the boat she rented in the lake and told investigators his mother got him on the boat but she didn’t get back on. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, who was in charge of Naya’s case, publicly stated they believe she “mustered enough energy” to save her son’s life but not her own.