Ryan Dorsey and his ten-year-old son, Josey, marked what would have been Naya Rivera's 39th birthday with a poignant visit to the lake where the Glee actress tragically died. The father and son released pink heart balloons into the sky at Lake Piru in Ventura County on Monday in a moving tribute to Josey's late mother.
A Father's Grateful Tribute on Instagram
Ryan Dorsey, 42, shared a photo of the heartfelt moment to his Instagram Story. He captioned the image, 'Grateful for giving us our sweet boy @joseydorsey', accompanied by two prayer hands emojis. The tribute underscores the enduring bond between the former couple, who were married from 2014 until 2018, and their shared love for their son, born in September 2015.
Josey's Emotional Connection to His Mother's Legacy
This lakeside memorial comes after Ryan recently opened up about their son's profound emotional response to seeing his mother on screen. He revealed that Josey 'welled up' while watching footage of Naya in the 2011 musical documentary Glee: The 3D Concert Movie last year.
'He sat there, and he watched the whole movie, and you could see his eyes welling up a little bit,' Ryan told People. He added that Josey also gets emotional looking at a memory book kept by his bed, crying while viewing it during the holidays.
Ryan emphasised the silver lining for Josey, stating, 'His mom will live forever. I think that’s a silver lining of this terrible situation,' referring to the wealth of content from Naya's six-season run as Santana Lopez on the hit Fox series.
The Tragic Loss and Its Aftermath
Naya Rivera died on July 8, 2020, aged 33, while swimming at Lake Piru. The 130ft-deep man-made reservoir is known for unpredictable currents and has been the site of numerous other drownings. In 2022, Ventura County reached a confidential settlement with Dorsey in his wrongful death lawsuit, which alleged the rented boat did not meet safety standards.
Dorsey previously recalled the frantic five-day search for Naya, remembering he collapsed at a grocery store upon hearing she was missing and drove at high speed to join the effort. He plans to write about the 'monumental disaster' in an upcoming memoir.
For the past two years, Ryan has been raising Josey in his native West Virginia, where the boy is involved in sports, violin lessons, and local theatre. The family's tribute at Lake Piru stands as a powerful testament to a mother's lasting memory and a young son's enduring love.
