Naya Rivera’s father, George Rivera, is opening up about how his grandson is coping since the passing of his mother. As Mamas Uncut previously reported, actress Naya Rivera passed away last July 2020 after she and her now 5-year-old son took a boat out on a California lake.
It is believed that Naya and her son had jumped into the water and were swimming when the boat drifted away. While she was able to get Josey back onto the boat at some point, Naya couldn’t muster enough strength to get herself back on the boat.
Naya Rivera’s Dad Calls Grandson a “Really Strong Kid.”
Hours later, Josey was found asleep on the boat and Naya was nowhere to be found. The young boy told investigators that he saw his mom disappear under the water.
It was later learned, through an interview with Naya’s father, George, that she told him through a FaceTime call before getting onto the boat that it didn’t have an anchor on it. “I could see that the wind was blowing and my stomach was just cringing. I kept telling her, ‘Don’t get out of the boat! Don’t get out of the boat! It will drift away when you’re in the water,’” George recalled.
Now George is opening up about how Josey is handling it all as they approach the year anniversary of Naya’s passing. As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Naya’s sister, Nickayla Rivera, had moved in with Josey’s father, Ryan Dorsey, to help raise Josey.
And as George told Entertainment Tonight, they are doing a “really great job.” “Nickayla and Ryan are doing a really great job. Tough situation, especially because he was there.”
“It’s not like you’re talking about a ghost that’s floating around, right? He’s got memories as well, but boy is he coming around, right? Really strong kid. We handle him and we talk to him just like he’s a 5-year-old going on six,” George added. “It’s no different but when he wants to talk about his mother, we talk about his mother, in conversation. He’s growing up and handling it really well.”
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As Nickayla explained last year, she made the decision to move in with Ryan and Josey because “in the darkest time of my life, the only thing that is important is my friend and family. Showing up for my nephew, even though I can’t show up for myself, I’m not concerned with the way things look because no one can see each agonizing moment we all endure. What matters most I’ve learned is to show compassion, not to judge others, and never take a moment of life for granted. I hope you all can do the same.”
And as it seems, it was ultimately the best decision.