Naya Rivera’s Ex Ryan Dorsey Shares Birthday Tribute 5 Years After Her Death: ‘Doing the Best I Can for Our JoJo Binx’

Mar. 15, 2025

Ryan Dorsey and Naya Rivera in 2015.Photo:Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

It’sNaya Rivera’s birthday, and the late star’s ex-husband still thinks about her every day since the actressdiedin 2020 in adrowning accident.

On Sunday, Jan. 12 — which would’ve been theGleestar’s 38th birthday — actorRyan Dorseyshared a heartfelt tribute onInstagram, including a message about the former couple’s 9-year-old son,Josey Hollis Dorsey.

Alongside a photo of the pair — whogot marriedin 2014 and divorced in 2018 — Dorsey penned a poem for Rivera.

“5 birthdays since you’ve been gone,” Dorsey wrote. “Thoughts every day about how it went wrong. The memories attached to places, Still see all the things, see all our faces.”

The actor, who has appeared in shows likeYellowstoneandJustified, went on to say that he is “doing the best I can for our JoJo Binx,” referring to their 9-year-old son.

Naya Rivera with son Josey in a March 2020 Instagram post.Naya Rivera/Instagram

Naya Rivera/Instagram

Rivera, who was beloved for her portrayal of Santana Lopez onGlee, was 33 when she died. In July 2020, she rented a boat while at California’s Lake Piru with Josey, who was 4 at the time. When the boat was not returned on time, staff found it on the north side of the lake with Josey sleeping in his life jacket on board, but Rivera was not with her child.

She waslaid to reston July 24, 2020.

Though Rivera and Dorsey had atumultuous relationshipprior to their 2017 split — theirdivorce was finalized the following year— the actor has shared several emotional tributes to and messages about the star since her tragic death.

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Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez in a ‘Glee’ promo photo.FOX Image Collection via Getty

FOX Image Collection via Getty

In 2022, he shared an emotional statement with PEOPLE,starting with how “proud” the late star would be of her son. “She knew how willing Josey was to share his things,” he said at the time, “but she’d be so proud to see how he’ll give things he loves away to friends or donate them.”

“At least once a day I find myself shaking my head, like it’s still unbelievable, so surreal that she’s gone,” he concluded. “She’d be freaking out today, I could almost hear her: ‘OMG, I’m almost 40!’ It’s hard to write this, tears coming out my eyes. Unf—ing real.”

source: people.com