‘Glee’ Stars Amber Riley, Heather Morris and More Pay Tribute to Naya Rivera on Her 34th Birthday

Credit: Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages/Shutterstock

‘Glee’ Stars Amber Riley, Heather Morris and More Pay Tribute to Naya Rivera on Her 34th Birthday

Always in their hearts. Former Glee stars including Amber Riley and Heather Morris honored their late costar Naya Rivera on what would’ve been her 34th birthday. “A little update Naya, earth is REALLY ghetto now!!!” Riley, 34, began her Instagram tribute to Rivera on Tuesday, January 12. “Still, I miss you so very much and I wish you were here.” The “Someone You Loved” singer, who played Mercedes Jones on the Fox series alongside Rivera’s Santana Lopez, continued: “There hasn’t been a day where you don’t cross my mind, and when you do, I take a moment of silence to remember all the beautiful moments we got to spend together.” Riley said she was listening to Amy Winehouse and “sippin wine and eating a very fancy charcuterie [board] in your honor today,” noting that she is also “checking on mom” for her. “HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY ANGEL 🥳🥰,” she concluded. Morris, 33, who played Rivera’s onscreen girlfriend, Brittany S. Pierce, shared a throwback photo of the pair for her tribute. “I can’t write a sappy monologue because it’s just too hard,” she wrote. “But I love you and I can’t describe how much I miss you.” [jwplayer HjpbV0hN-l3ahXupL] Fellow Glee castmates Kevin McHale, Chris Colfer, Chord Overstreet and Jenna Ushkowitz also shared sweet memories of Rivera on her birthday via social media, six months after her passing. Rivera died in July 2020 after accidentally drowning in a California lake while boating with her 5-year-old son, Josey, whom she shared with her ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey. Last month, the actress’ former castmates honored her memory with a holiday fundraiser for her favorite charity. A GoFundMe page titled SNIXXMAS Charity Drive launched in December 2020, with proceeds going to Alexandria House in Los Angeles, which provides safe housing for women and children. “This year I lost one of my dearest friends, Naya. She always inspired me because she never let a holiday season go by without giving back to those in need,” Morris wrote in an emotional letter on Instagram at the time. “We’re keeping Nayas spirit alive this holiday season by raising funds for one of her favorite organizations, Alexandria House. Please, give what you can and help spread Snixxmas cheer.” The GoFundMe page raised $117,900 for the charity. Scroll down to see how Rivera’s former castmates honored her on her birthday. [podcast_block]

Credit: Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages/Shutterstock

‘Glee’ Stars Amber Riley, Heather Morris and More Pay Tribute to Naya Rivera on Her 34th Birthday

Always in their hearts. Former Glee stars including Amber Riley and Heather Morris honored their late costar Naya Rivera on what would’ve been her 34th birthday. “A little update Naya, earth is REALLY ghetto now!!!” Riley, 34, began her Instagram tribute to Rivera on Tuesday, January 12. “Still, I miss you so very much and I wish you were here.” The “Someone You Loved” singer, who played Mercedes Jones on the Fox series alongside Rivera’s Santana Lopez, continued: “There hasn’t been a day where you don’t cross my mind, and when you do, I take a moment of silence to remember all the beautiful moments we got to spend together.” Riley said she was listening to Amy Winehouse and “sippin wine and eating a very fancy charcuterie [board] in your honor today,” noting that she is also “checking on mom” for her. “HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY ANGEL 🥳🥰,” she concluded. Morris, 33, who played Rivera’s onscreen girlfriend, Brittany S. Pierce, shared a throwback photo of the pair for her tribute. “I can’t write a sappy monologue because it’s just too hard,” she wrote. “But I love you and I can’t describe how much I miss you.” [jwplayer HjpbV0hN-l3ahXupL] Fellow Glee castmates Kevin McHale, Chris Colfer, Chord Overstreet and Jenna Ushkowitz also shared sweet memories of Rivera on her birthday via social media, six months after her passing. Rivera died in July 2020 after accidentally drowning in a California lake while boating with her 5-year-old son, Josey, whom she shared with her ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey. Last month, the actress’ former castmates honored her memory with a holiday fundraiser for her favorite charity. A GoFundMe page titled SNIXXMAS Charity Drive launched in December 2020, with proceeds going to Alexandria House in Los Angeles, which provides safe housing for women and children. “This year I lost one of my dearest friends, Naya. She always inspired me because she never let a holiday season go by without giving back to those in need,” Morris wrote in an emotional letter on Instagram at the time. “We’re keeping Nayas spirit alive this holiday season by raising funds for one of her favorite organizations, Alexandria House. Please, give what you can and help spread Snixxmas cheer.” The GoFundMe page raised $117,900 for the charity. Scroll down to see how Rivera’s former castmates honored her on her birthday. [podcast_block]

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Kevin McHale

“Happy birthday, 🐝,” McHale, who played Artie Abrams, captioned a group shot of the Glee family partying together on one of Rivera’s past birthdays. “No one else could get us to be this messy in public.”

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Amber Riley

Riley shared a photo from her performance of “A Moment” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which she sang in honor of Rivera in August 2020. “I miss you so very much and I wish you were here,” she wrote on Tuesday. “I’m listening to Amy Winehouse, sippin wine, and eating a very fancy charcuterie in your honor today (don’t worry, I’m checking on mom).”

Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Chris Colfer

Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel for six seasons, shared a photo of himself in costume and Rivera in her Cheerios uniform on Instagram. “Happy birthday, babe. Miss you.❤️,” he captioned the snap.

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Heather Morris

“Happy Birthday my angel,” the California native wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of herself holding Rivera’s hand. “I can’t describe how much I miss you.”

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Chord Overstreet

“Happy Birthday @nayarivera, we sure do miss you a lot down here!” Overstreet, who played Sam Evans for five seasons, wrote alongside a throwback cast photo.

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Jenna Ushkowitz

“Happy Birthday Nougs,” the South Korea native, who played Tina Cohen-Chang, captioned a photo of her and Rivera hugging at a press event via her Instagram Story.