Naya Rivera death: Glee co-star and screen wife Heather Morris pays emotional tribute to 'loving friend'

Medical examiner’s report confirmed Rivera died from drowning

Heather Morris has paid tribute to her on-screen wife in Glee, Naya Rivera, who died after drowning in Lake Piru on 8 July.

The actor’s body was found at the lake in California five days after she went missing.

Authorities had been searching the area since Rivera, 33, was reported missing after she rented a pontoon boat with her four-year-old son. The boy told police she pushed him back into the boat before disappearing beneath the surface.

Rivera played Santana Lopez in Glee, a character who ended up marrying Morris’s Brittany Pierce.

Morris wrote on Instagram that the pair had “the most beautiful friendship built out of love and understanding”.

She said Rivera “constantly taught me lessons about grief, about beauty and poise, about being strong [and] resilient”.

Morris added: “Yet, the utmost important lesson I learned most of all from you was being a consistent and loving friend. You were the first to check in, the first to ask questions, the first to listen... you cherished our friendship and I never took that for granted.”

She concluded: “I speak to you everyday because I know you’re still with me and even though I’m feeling greedy that we don’t get more time together, I cherish every moment we had and hold it close to my heart.”

On Monday (13 July), Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub suggested the lake’s currents could have caused difficulties.

Rivera’s child was found alone and asleep in the boat by a leasing agent after it was not returned.

The medical examiner’s report confirmed the cause of death as drowning, and said that there were no signs of it being the result of anything other than an accident.

Earlier on Tuesday, Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan shared their memories of working with Rivera, saying in a written statement that they were heartbroken at the loss of their friend.