Naya Rivera: Glee Star Dies at 33

Naya Rivera was an American actress and singer, best known for playing the cheerleader Santana Lopez on the musical series Glee. Born on January 12, 1987, in Valencia, California, she began working as a child actress in the early 1990s.

Rivera played Santana Lopez from 2009 to 2015, her breakthrough role, and the cast received a SAG Award, ALMA Awards and Grammy and Brit Award nominations. She signed with Columbia Records in 2011 and released the EP My Heart in 2019. She wrote the memoir Sorry Not Sorry in 2016 and voiced Catwoman in Batman: The Long Halloween (2021).

Rivera was an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and for women's rights. She had a son, born in 2015. She drowned in an accident at Lake Piru, California, on July 8, 2020, at age 33, after saving her four-year-old son during a boating trip. Her death was ruled an accidental drowning.

Achievements: Played Santana Lopez on Glee (2009-2015), SAG Award with the cast, released the EP My Heart (2019), wrote the memoir Sorry Not Sorry (2016).

Birth: January 12, 1987 - Valencia, California.

Profession: Actress and singer.

Interesting Facts: She began acting as a toddler in commercials. Her brother, Mychal Rivera, played tight end in the NFL.