Lea Michele Reveals Poignant Tributes to Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith

The tributes continue to pour in for Naya Rivera, who is confirmed dead at the age of 33 after authorities discovered her body in Lake Piru on Monday morning. In a tragic coincidence, Rivera’s body was found on the seventh anniversary of the passing of Cory Monteith, who also starred on Glee. Following this news, Glee star Lea Michele has taken to Instagram to post tributes to both Rivera and Monteith.

On her Instagram Story on Monday, Michele shared several throwback photos of her former co-stars. She posted three photos, including one of Rivera and another of Monteith, whom she was in a relationship with from 2012 up to his passing in 2013. Michele also posted a photo that appears to be of the Glee cast taking a ride on a boat. The Scream Queens star initially found herself in the midst of backlash after fans questioned why she was silent regarding Rivera’s case. While Michele subsequently deactivated her Twitter on Saturday, her other Glee co-stars did speak up in her defense, with Amber Riley even writing on social media that no one is owed any “performance of grief” from the cast members of the Fox series.

On Sunday, Riley urged her followers to be respectful amidst this challenging time and stressed that the focus should be on Rivera and her family right now. “Show some respect. All our energy is going toward helping find Naya and praying for her safe return and for her family,” Riley tweeted. “No one owes anyone online a performance of grief. This is very real and devastating. Focus on Naya and her family. Not us. We don’t matter right now.” Kevin McHale, who also starred on Glee, also spoke out regarding the tragic circumstances. He retweeted Riley’s message and wrote, “I cannot begin to understand what Naya’s family must be feeling. I know the rest of us are completely shattered, but not without hope. Please respect her family & their privacy in this moment. Please refrain from judging those who don’t show their pain on social media.”

Authorities confirmed that the body found in Lake Piru on Monday morning belonged to Rivera. The actor and her four-year-old son Josey rented a boat during their trip to the lake. The child told officers that his mother put him on the boat before disappearing beneath the surface of the water. Sheriff Bill Ayub said during a press conference on Monday that Rivera might have “mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself.”