'Glee' Stars Honor Naya Rivera on Her 34th Birthday

Today marks Naya Rivera's 34th birthday, which was never forgotten by other cast members of the "Glee." The late actress' co-stars paid tribute to her, with Heather Morris leading among their former co-stars.

Naya Rivera tragically died during a boating trip in July. She was survived by her son, who was with her when the accident took place.

Heather Morris posted a black-and-white photo of them on Instagram. Morris played as Naya Rivera's love interest in the musical comedy series "Glee."

Morris captioned the post saying, "Happy Birthday my angel. I can't write a sappy monologue because it's just too hard," People reported. Morris added that she loves Rivera and cannot describe how much she misses her.

Amber Riley also shared a photo of herself from her August performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," which she offered as a tribute for Rivera.

Chris Colfer also shared a cast photo of himself and Rivera on Instagram, captioning it with his happy birthday greeting, adding that he misses Rivera.

Naya Rivera's Death

Naya Rivera's body was found in Lake Piru, California on July 13 last year. According to a Billboard report, an autopsy from the Ventura County Medical Examiner revealed that the actress' cause of death was drowning, and the manner was an accident.

Divers found her body after a long search. She was first reported missing on July 8 last year after renting a pontoon boat with her four-year-old son at Lake Piru.

According to an earlier BBC report, Rivera's son told police that his mother pushed him back into the boat before she disappeared under the surface of the water.

Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said the lake's current at the time could have made it difficult for Naya Rivera to get back on the boat. Ayub suggested that perhaps the boat started drifting, and it was unanchored.

He added that Rivera must only have enough strength to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself.

Rivera's son was found alone and sleeping on the boat by a leasing agent after she did not return it. Her body was found on the same day, exactly seven years after her "Glee" co-star, Cory Monteith, was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room due to heroin and alcohol overdose.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit filed in Naya Rivera's drowning

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over Rivera's drowning. It was filed against the Ventura County and managers of Lake Piru.

Ryan Dorsey filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son. Dorsey was the father of Rivera's son and her ex-husband. The suit was also filed on behalf of her estate, according to The Guardian report.

The late star was said to be a good swimmer. An autopsy report listed her death as an accident. However, the lawsuit claims that negligence was involved.

The pontoon boat allegedly lacked other safety necessities to keep the boat from being separated from the swimmers, such as the ladder, rope, or anchor.

Naya Rivera reportedly declined a life vest. But the man whom she rented the boat at said to have put one aboard anyway.