Five years have passed since Naya Rivera's tragic drowning, but for her ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, the memories are still all too real. His everyday life in L.A. is a mix of work, remembrance, and moments that bring both warmth and sorrow.
Ryan works at Warner Bros. and drives past Forest Lawn Cemetery every day—where Naya now rests. "So many songs make me think about her, like Amy Winehouse's 'Valerie' and 'Sunflower' by Post Malone and Swae Lee because I always used to get her sunflowers on Sundays," he shares. It's hard not to be reminded of the past when every corner of the city holds a piece of her memory.
One of the biggest reminders is their son, Josey, who is now nine and carries Naya's spark. Ryan explains with a smile, "He's definitely his mama's son because when he doesn't get the answer he wants, he keeps talking. He likes to talk, and that's mama for sure." Whether joking around or excitedly chatting about his favorite video games like Minecraft and Plants vs. Zombies, Josey's energy is a constant tribute to Naya's vibrant personality.
The Day that Changed Everything
The day Naya died is etched in Ryan's memory. He was driving from L.A. to Big Bear Lake for a friend's birthday when a call from Naya's family sent his world into chaos. "I instantly said, 'What do you mean? She knows how to swim,'" he recalls. In disbelief, he raced the 145 miles to Lake Piru, chain-smoking cigarettes (even though he isn't really a smoker) and breaking down in tears. His only thought was getting to Josey, who had been found asleep on an adrift pontoon boat that Naya had rented earlier that day.
For five agonizing days, search-and-rescue divers scoured the lake. "It was the worst five days of my life," Ryan remembers, haunted by the thought of never finding her. On July 13, the search ended when her body was found in a remote part of the lake. Over time, Josey has pieced together bits of that traumatic day. He recalls a windy afternoon, his hesitation about getting into the water, and a simple command from his mom: "Don't be silly!"
When the boat began drifting, Naya instructed him to swim back. Josey remembers clinging onto "the tanks" and struggling to make it back, with the last sound he recalls being his mom calling his name before she went under. Ryan's voice catches as he says, "It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments."
Finding a Path Forward
Since that day, Ryan has kept his personal life guarded, often turning down opportunities to speak publicly about his loss. "I've never been one to talk about my life like this," he admits. Even now, looking at pictures of Naya is painful. But sharing these memories feels like a small step toward healing—a way to honor her legacy while finding strength for the future. Ryan also mentions that he treats Josey differently because of what he's been through, even if it means not worrying too much about everyday things like bad words or violent scenes on TV. It's not the conventional way to raise a kid, but it's the reality they face.
Holding a Lot of Guilt
"Something he's said over and over is that he was trying to find a life raft, and there was a rope, but there was a big spider on the rope, and he was too scared to throw it," Dorsey says. "I keep reassuring him, 'Buddy, that rope wasn't going to be long enough.' That obviously still sticks out in his head because he feels like he could have saved her. I think she just got caught up in a brush — that or a weird undercurrent from the dam. It was just a freak occurrence."
Dorsey also told People what he would have done if he'd been there. "I probably would have jumped in, and I like to think I would've saved the day," he says. "But on the other hand, I think maybe something bad could have happened to both of us. I don't know."
After Rivera's funeral, Dorsey and Josey moved to West Virginia. Upon returning to L.A., Rivera's younger sister Nickayla moved in with them. "She was such a big help," he says. "I had to go to Vancouver for five months and Josey came the last month to stay with me, but during the time I was gone she held it down and kept that consistency. It was very surreal sometimes because the way she would say things to Josey would sound like his mom."
Through all of this, Ryan and Josey continue to carry Naya's spirit with them every day as they navigate the complicated journey of life without her.