Rivera died in July of 2020, drowning in Lake Piru, California. She was just 33 years old at the time of her death.
Her ex, Ryan Dorsey, spoke to People Magazine in a heartbreaking sit-down interview, the first since her death.
Rivera and her son Josey (Chris Delmas via Getty Images)
Their son, Josey, is now nine, but was only four years old at the time of her death.
Rivera was best known for her time on the show Glee, with several members of the cast reuniting at the lake, pictured holding hands.
The cast lived through the tragedy of her death being confirmed exactly seven years after the death of Cory Monteith, who overdosed while the show was still ongoing.
Dorsey spoke to People about the experience of Rivera’s death.
He recounted how their son was swimming off a boat she had taken out into the lake before realising it had begun to drift.
The incident report of her death reported that she drowned due to the exhaustion of getting him back to the boat.
Rivera’s Glee cast members came together during the search for her body (Al Seib via Getty Images)
Dorsey revealed her last words were said to her son shortly before going under, saying: “He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore.
“It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.”
He reports finding out the news from Rivera’s Mother’s husband, and almost falling on hearing it.
He added: “I drove 100-and-something the whole way with my four-way hazards on, chain-smoking cigarettes — and I don’t even smoke, really — and just crying.
“I just wanted to get to Josey.”
He claims he ‘doesn’t know what he would have done’ if they’d lost both his son Josey and his ex-wife and Josey’s mother Naya.
The four-year-old was found in the boat they had rented, drifting back to shore.
Rivera and Dorsey were married in 2014 and divorced in 2018 (Paul Archuleta via Getty Images)
He went on to say: “When it happened, I just found myself shaking my head, like, ‘I can’t believe she’s gone’.
“It’s still so surreal every day.”
Following her death, Dorsey filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ventura County, who rented the boat to Rivera.
It was filed by Dorsey on behalf of their son, with a settlement being agreed in 2022.
Amjad Khan, the family’s lawyer, said after the settlement: “Through this settlement, Josey will receive just compensation for having to endure the drowning of his beloved mother at Lake Piru.
“Though the tragic loss of Josey’s mother can never truly be overcome, we are very pleased that the monetary settlement will significantly assist Josey with his life beyond this tragedy.”
It was argued in the suit that her death was preventable, and that the boat rented did not have proper safety features and equipment.
According to court documents, there have been more than two dozen people in the last 65 years to die in the lake’s ‘deadly history.’
