Naya Rivera’s Son Feels Guilty Over Her Tragic Drowning Because He Was Too Afraid Of A “Big Spider” To Throw His Mom A Rope At Age 4
“Glee” star Naya tragically died during a boating trip with her son, Josey, now 9, in 2020.
Now, ahead of the five-year anniversary of Naya’s passing, Josey’s father, Ryan Dorsey, has given an exclusive interview to People magazine, where he shared some heartbreaking new details about that fateful day.
What is perhaps the most devastating is just how much Josey remembers, with Ryan revealing that Josey told him he had been worried about getting into the water because of how windy it was, but his mom had said: “Don’t be silly!”
Not only did the preschooler have to bear witness to his mom’s tragic death, Ryan also revealed that Josey feels guilty about not being able to save her.
Ryan was at Big Bear Lake, California, for a friend’s birthday when Naya and Josey went on the boat trip, and was in Ralph’s supermarket when Naya’s mom called to say that Naya had gone missing.
For reference, Ryan and Naya were married between 2014 and 2018, and had a healthy co-parenting relationship at the time of her death.
Ryan recalled collapsing “into a pallet of drinks” at the news of her disappearance before speeding the 145 miles to Lake Piru. He noted: “I just wanted to get to Josey.”
“If we’d have lost both Naya and Josey, I don’t know how I would continue on with my life,” Ryan added. “I don’t know what I would’ve done, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been good.”
