Ryan Dorsey honored his late ex-wife's memory with a touching tribute on the one-year-anniversary since Naya Rivera was laid to rest.
Ryan Dorsey, 38, wrote a lengthy Instagram post to commemorate the one-year-anniversary of his ex-wife Naya Rivera‘s funeral. His tribute, penned as a letter to Naya, focused mostly on their son, Josey, 5, and how he’s doing in the year since his mom’s death in a Sunday July 25 Instagram post. Ryan shared a photo of a smiling Josey, giving a thumbs up along with pictures of the little boy with the Glee star. Even though Ryan focused on his son’s great qualities, he said that the boy misses his mom, after a year that’s flown by so quickly. “He misses you but knows he’ll see you again,” he wrote.
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Ryan led his tribute to Naya with all the things he wished that Naya could see in her son in the year since he’s grown. He assured his ex-wife that Josey is a “strong” and “resilient” boy. “He’s such an explorer, so inquisitive. He’s sweet, so funny, and his laugh always lights up the room. He’s an intuitive soul to say the least. To know him is to love him, everyone that meets him is always smiling,” he wrote. The Ray Donovan star also explained why he chose a photo of Josey giving a thumbs up, sharing a memory of when he was a baby. “At jiujitsu, you gave him a thumbs up and he returned the gesture…it was so sweet,” he wrote, saying that it was a powerful memory that seemed fitting.
Besides telling Naya how he and Josey are doing, he promised to tell his son all about his mother when the time is right. “[It’s] still hard to see photos, still haven’t been able to read or watch anything…as the years go by strength will be on my side as I will share the memories with what is the brightest star of your legacy left on this earth, our beautiful son, Josey,” he said.
The actor told his ex that she could “Rest in peace,” knowing that people were around who would care for and love her son. Ryan concluded the tribute with a message to those who have faced a similar loss. He acknowledged that some days can be harder than others, but encouraged those who have experienced a similar loss to have strength. “We keep going, because that’s all we can do while being as strong as we can be,” he wrote.
Naya died by drowning in Lake Piru, California on July 8, 2020, while she was boating with her son. She was first reported missing on July 8, and her body was recovered on July 13. On the one-year anniversary of her death, tons of her Glee co-stars, including Lea Michele paid tribute to the actress.
