Naya Rivera's Sister Reveals How She Moved Forward After The Star's Tragic Death

After being reported missing for five days during a boating trip with son Josey, "Glee" alum Naya Rivera's body was recovered from California's Lake Piru on July 13, 2020 — a devastating discovery many had hoped wouldn't come to pass. Rivera's initial disappearance confounded the public when then-4-year-old son Josey was found alone in a boat Rivera had rented for the two of them, People reported. Fans and fellow entertainers mourned the untimely death of the 33-year-old Rivera in a year already turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Oscar-winner Viola Davis tweeted the loss was "too much" on Twitter, while Demi Lovato, who played Rivera's girlfriend on Season 5 of "Glee," praised Rivera for playing a "groundbreaking" role that helped inspire "closeted queer girls" and "Latina women all over the world." Rapper Big Sean, with whom Rivera was engaged, shared on Instagram that "everything that ever happened" between him and Rivera made him "wiser and a better person."

But of course, no one was more devastated than Rivera's family — including her little sister, Nickayla Rivera. Now, Nickayla is sharing how she is learning to cope with the tragedy over a year later. 

In a January 10 YouTube vlog titled "Allow Me to Introduce Myself," Naya Rivera's sister, Nickayla Rivera, stepped into the limelight herself, opening up about her and her family's grieving process since Naya's July 2020 death. "My whole family was in complete shock," Nickayla said. "It was like someone pulled the rug from under us and we didn't see it coming. The dark place that I was in before only progressed when that happened." She added, "At that time, I had no thoughts of my future. I had no thoughts of myself really. I was only just experiencing pain."

After a while, Nickayla reached an epiphany. "The pain that I was experiencing wasn't going to go anywhere until I decided to find the good in this world," Nickayla told her subscribers. "So, from then on, I went on this journey of discovering who I was." That included ceasing the habit of vaping (which Nickayla said made her feel "empowered") and beginning journaling. Additionally, Nickayla shared, "I started therapy. I said no to doing a lot of things that I didn't want to do, but normally would for other people. I started putting myself first." 

In an evergreen message for fans, Nickayla stated that Naya's death reminded her to live in the present, saying she asked herself, "'Why am I not living like every day is a gift?' Because it is."