Naya Rivera has died aged 33 after her body was discovered by US authorities searching a Californian lake.
A video posted by the Los Angeles Times showed Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officials confirming that the body found this afternoon was Rivera.
The actress’ family have reportedly been notified.
Beloved by Glee fans, the mum-of-one rose to acclaim playing cheerleader Santana Lopez on the hit musical series.
Rivera became a missing person on Wednesday, July 8, after her four-year-old son was found floating alone on her rented boat at Lake Piru, at the edge of the Los Padres National Forest.
Today, Ventura County officials confirmed a body had been recovered from the lake, which was later identified as Rivera’s.
Her family and castmates from Glee – including Heather Morris, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Kevin McHale – gathered around the lake, holding hands hours after the recovery was carried out.
Naya Rivera’s body was recovered from the lake earlier today (Image: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Splash News / SplashNews.com)
On the day she went missing, Rivera texted a photo of her son Josey to a relative 90 minutes before he was found, which helped the search team to locate her body.
Speaking to reporters, Captain Eric Buschow said: “This is an area we’ve been searching really hard because we believe that’s where she was last seen in the water.
“I don’t know what the depth is where she was found but I’ll have to get more details. This is all just happening now.”
Confirming a body had been found earlier in the day, the official account tweeted: “Happening now: A body has been found at Lake Piru this morning. The recovery is in progress. A news conference will take place at 2 pm at the lake.”
Glee actress Naya Rivera has died aged 33, it has been confirmed (Image: Naya Rivera/Instagram)
Around 4pm in the afternoon on July 8, a rented pontoon boat was found with Rivera’s son, Josey Hollis, alone inside the vessel.
The child reportedly told police his mother had gone swimming in the lake but didn’t re-emerge from the water.
Captain Buschow told media that Rivera’s life jacket was found in the boat, though her son was wearing his.
At the time, the Sheriff’s Department confirmed they were searching for a presumed drowning victim at the site.
The search at Lake Piru had been carried out over the past six days (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
With the search spanning six days, a rescue dive team and a helicopter with a drone were dispatched to the area.
Since news of her death broke, tributes have been flooding in from celebrities and fans alike, paying tribute to Rivera’s legacy on the screen.
Rivera started her acting career as a child, playing Hillary Winston in US sitcom The Royal Family from the age of four.
She went on to appear in a number of hit TV shows throughout her childhood, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Even Stevens and Baywatch.
Rivera rose to fame playing cheerleader Santana Lopez on the hit musical series Glee (Image: FOX via Getty Images)
Despite landing a number of small roles in her teens, between acting gigs and auditions, she also worked as a nanny and a greeter at an Abercrombie and Fitch store in LA.
Her breakthrough came in 2009 when she was cast to play high school cheerleader Santana in Glee, eventually becoming one of the lead characters on the show.
In the second season, her character famously struggled to come to terms with her sexuality, as she fell for fellow cheerleader Brittany Pierce, played by Heather Morris.
Rivera’s son was found floating alone on a boat (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The role won Rivera critical acclaim, with ALMA award nominations and ranking on a number of “Best Of” lists in the media.
In 2011, it was announced that Rivera was working on a solo album with Columbia Records, releasing her debut single “Sorry” with Big Sean two years later.
She was praised for her role in her debut feature film At the Devil’s Door, playing a real estate agent caught up in the supernatural events at one of her properties.
More recently, she landed a recurring role on Devious Maids, playing Blanca Alvarez in the third season of the Lifetime show.
In an intimate ceremony in Mexico, Rivera married actor Ryan Dorsey in 2014, though the two finalised their divorce four years later.
They shared joint custody of their only child, Josey, who was born in 2015.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
