Naya Rivera’s ex Ryan Dorsey reveals Glee star’s heartbreaking last words to son Josey before drowning
Naya Rivera’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey has revealed her final words to their son Josey before she drowned nearly five years ago.
Josey, who was four years old at the time, watched his mom go under from a boat they’d rented to go swimming in Lake Piru, California. Rivera’s body wasn’t found until five days later on July 13, 2020.
In his first major interview since the Glee star died aged 33, Dorsey said their now-nine-year-old son remembers numerous details from that tragic day, including Rivera telling him, “Don’t be silly!” after he told her he was scared to swim.
Josey had jumped in the water with his mom before Rivera noticed their rental boat had drifted away from them.
According to Dorsey, Josey remembers holding “the tanks” to help bring his body “around the boat” to get out of the water.
“He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore,” Dorsey told People.
“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,” he continued. “I keep reassuring him, ‘Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.’ That obviously still sticks out in his head because he feels like he could have saved her.
“I think she just got caught up in a brush — that or a weird undercurrent from the dam. It was just a freak occurrence,” Dorsey said. “I probably would have jumped in, and I like to think I would've saved the day. But on the other hand, I think maybe something bad could have happened to both of us. I don't know.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Dorsey revealed where he was when he received the news that Rivera had gone missing.
The 41-year-old actor was shopping at a supermarket in Big Bear Lake, California, when he answered a call from his ex-wife’s step-dad. He was told Rivera’s body was missing after she and Josey had gone swimming.
“I instantly said, ‘What do you mean? She knows how to swim.’ He said, 'They jumped in, and Josey got back on, and they're trying to find Naya,’” Dorsey recalled. “I collapsed into a pallet of drinks. I didn't know what to think, but I feared the worst.
“I drove 100-and-something the whole way with my four-way hazards on, chain-smoking cigarettes — and I don’t even smoke, really — and just crying,” he confessed. “I just wanted to get to Josey.”
In 2022, Rivera’s family settled a wrongful death lawsuit made on her behalf against Ventura County.
In a statement given to E! News, the family said they were “pleased” with the money offered as it would go towards helping Rivera’s son as he grows up without her.
“Through this settlement, Josey will receive just compensation for having to endure the drowning of his beloved mother at Lake Piru,” the statement read.
“Though the tragic loss of Josey’s mother can never truly be overcome, we are very pleased that the monetary settlement will significantly assist Josey with his life beyond this tragedy.”
