It has been nearly five years since Naya Rivera‘s untimely death. The late Glee star was only 33 when she went missing during a boat ride with her then 4-year-old son, Josey, at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. On July 8, 2020, Rivera’s body was found, and an autopsy report confirmed that she had died from an accidental drowning in the lake. Following the news, Her fellow Glee cast members, along with her ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, with whom she shared their son, mourned her passing.

But reminders of Rivera’s death are always present for Dorsey and his son. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the actor shared that Josey, now 9 years old, still struggles with feelings of guilt over not being able to save his mother.

“Something he’s said over and over is that he was trying to find a life raft, and there was a rope, but there was a big spider on the rope, and he was too scared to throw it,” Dorsey recalled. “I keep reassuring him, ‘Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.’”

Despite the challenges of dealing with the loss, Dorsey is also grateful for having his son, who he says resembles so much of his mother.

Read on to learn more about the actress who rose to international fame on the beloved, Emmy-winning series.

Early Life

Rivera grew up in the Valencia area of Santa Clarita, California, where she was thrust into the spotlight at the tender age of 4. Her first big break was on the short-lived early 90’s sitcom The Royal Family which costarred television legends Della Reese and Jackee Harry. Harry tweeted a clip from the show of her and Rivera acting together after she disappeared while asking for prayers that she will be found. “Please God, don’t cut this life short.”

Naya Rivera’s Acting Career

She had a bunch of guest-starring roles in the years to come on programs like Baywatch, The Smart Guy, The Bernie Mac Show and CSI: Miami. Things did a complete 180 for her, career wise, when she joined the cast of Glee during its first season in 2009. Her character of Santana Lopez was more of a background performer towards the beginning of the show before they expanded it to something much bigger as the series progressed.

Life During & After Glee

The brunette bombshell has been able to accomplish quite a lot professionally outside of her time on Glee. She released her debut single in 2013 called “Sorry” featuring then fiance Big Sean, played a recurring role on the Lifetime series Devious Maids and penned a memoir titled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up in September 2018.

Naya Rivera’s Love Life.

Rivera’s first big public relationship was with Big Sean. She and the award-winning rapper began dating in early 2013 before getting engaged later that year in October. Their relationship eventually went to splitsville when the former duo announced that they had broken up in April 2014.

Marriage, A Baby & Divorce

Rivera rekindled her romance with fellow actor Ryan Dorsey in 2014 after her split from the “Bounce Back” rapper. They initially dated in 2010. The twosome wed later that year in July in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, before she welcomed their only child in September 2015. Their divorce was finalized three years later following a ton of drama that included a tumultuous November 2016 incident where she was arrested and charged for allegedly hitting him in the head and face during an altercation over their child.