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Dozens of Naya Rivera’s grieving fans gathered in California for a vigil at the sport where the star drowned earlier this month. Organized by a Twitter fan page, Naya Rivera Army, a line of the actress’ most devoted supporters descended on Lake Piru Saturday to take turns to make dedications as well as leave momentos …
Dozens of Naya Rivera’s grieving fans gathered in California for a vigil at the sport where the star drowned earlier this month.
Organized by a Twitter fan page, Naya Rivera Army, a line of the actress’ most devoted supporters descended on Lake Piru Saturday to take turns to make dedications as well as leave momentos for the late “Glee” star.
“I have a feeling that Naya is at the lake today. I’m sure she will see all the love we are giving her,” a fan named Maria said from the #NayasFanMemorial overlooking the lake.
Fans from as far as Oregon and Indiana flocked to the Southern California lake where the 33-year-old actress disappeared on July 8 while boating with her son, they told KCBS-TV.
They set up tables for candles, photos and tributes, with messages and photos also pinned on the fence to the lake where Rivera’s body was found days after she helped get her son safely back on their boat.
While listening to her songs, the fans — who call themselves “Nayaholics” — released white “Forever in our Hearts” balloons across the lake, with others posting photos while taking shots as toasts to her.
Some of the messages and images will be left for an ongoing memorial, while others will be sent to the actress’ family, organizers told CBS.
Many praised the life-changing power of seeing the star play a Latina lesbian as her “Glee” character Santana Lopez.
“Without ‘Glee,’ I swear I would not be here. I would not be alive. That’s just a fact,” one fan, a trans man from Indiana named JP, told CBS.
Another fan from Portland, Ore., said she was “struggling with my sexuality” — until seeing her character on a major TV show helped her “come out” to her family.
“It literally gave me the courage,” she said of the show’s casting of a key character who was lesbian.
