‘Glee’ Creators Raise Funds For Naya Rivera’s Son’s College Tuition
Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan have paid tribute to the late Naya Rivera in a lengthy statement on Tuesday, announcing that they will be paying for her son’s college.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of our friend Naya Rivera,” they began. “Naya wasn’t a series regular when we cast her on Glee. She didn’t have more than a few lines in the pilot. But it didn’t take more than an episode or two for us to realize that we had lucked into finding one of the most talented, special stars we would ever have the pleasure of working with.”
“Naya could act, she could dance, and she could sing (could she ever sing!),” they continued. “She could nail a joke as well as she could crush you with an emotional scene. She could move between being scary tough and deeply vulnerable with ease. She was a joy to write for, a joy to direct and a joy to be around.”
They went on to remember Naya’s character’s relationship with Brittany (Heather Morris), one of the youngest long-term lesbian couples on network TV.
“It was one of the first times an openly lesbian, high school relationship was seen on network television and Naya understood what ‘Brittana’ meant to the many young women who were seeing themselves represented on television for the first time,” they said. “Naya always made sure that Santana’s love for Brittany was expressed with dignity, strength and with pure intentions. Naya was always moved by the girls who reached out to her to tell her how much Santana and Brittany’s love affected them. Naya’s obligation to them — and to all of her fans — was obvious. She had the rare combination of humility and endless confidence in her talent.”
They concluded, “Our hearts go out to her family, especially her mom, Yolanda, who was a big part of the Glee family and her son Josey. The three of us are currently in the process of creating a college fund for the beautiful son Naya loved most of all.”