It’s terrifying not knowing what your last conversation with your loved one would sound like. For Naya Rivera’s dad, it’s one that will haunt him forever. On July 8 of last year, his daughter and grandson Josey were boating on Lake Piru in Southern California when the Glee star FaceTimed him with the — in hindsight — heart-wrenching question:
“Would it be safe to go out for a swim?”
It’s especially heartbreaking knowing that that “swim” would be the very thing that would claim her life.
“I could see that the wind was blowing and my stomach was just cringing,” her dad George recalled. “I kept telling her, ‘Don’t get out of the boat! Don’t get out of the boat! It will drift away when you’re in the water.'”
Just a few minutes later, when their call cut short, George “had this bad feeling that was just killing me.”
Unfortunately, the older Rivera was right. Josey was later found alone in the boat while Naya, only 33, would later be found dead after five days. Her body was in the early hours of July 13, with her cause of death declared as accidental drowning.
“It’s still pretty much a big blur of pain almost a year later,” George said. “Things are slowly coming a little more into focus, but I don’t know if I’ll ever find closure from this. I miss her every day.”
We send our thoughts and prayers to the Rivera family, and may her legacy live on. Such a talent should never be forgotten.
*Cover image via Rich Polk/
Getty/WireImage