The heartbreaking discovery of Naya Rivera's body has eerily coincided with another tragic anniversary for the cast, crew and fans of Glee.
The body of Rivera, 33, was pulled from a lake on Monday – exactly seven years after Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson on the hit musical show, died from a fatal cocktail of alcohol and heroin in a Vancouver hotel room.
The 31-year-old actor, who had been struggling with addiction, was found dead on July 13, 2013.
Monteith was still a cast member on Glee at the time of his death, and Rivera – as sassy cheerleader Santana Lopez – gave an emotional performance of The Band Perry song If I Die Young in an episode paying tribute to his life.
After news broke of Rivera's death, fellow Glee actress Lea Michele, who was dating Monteith at the time of his death, took to Instagram to share tributes to her former co-stars.
Lea Michele posted tributes to Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith on Instagram. Photos / Instagram
Michele and Rivera's tension behind the scenes on the show was well-documented, with Rivera even writing about it in her memoir, but it's understood they'd made up in recent years.
On a picture uploaded by Michele on Instagram showing off her growing baby bump earlier this year, Rivera had commented: "Aww congrats! I love this. You're going to be a great mummy."
Rivera was found dead in Lake Piru in California on Monday, five days after she went missing.
In a press conference on Monday (local time) the Ventura County Sheriff confirmed the tragic news.
"Based on the location where the body was found, physical characteristics of the body, clothing found on the body and the physical condition of the body, as well as the absence of any other persons reported missing in the area, we are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera," the sheriff said.
The actress and mother, 33, vanished last week after she rented a boat with her four-year-old son and went swimming.
Naya Rivera's body has been discovered on the seven-year anniversary of the death of her Glee co-star, Cory Monteith. Photo / Getty Images
Rivera rented a pontoon boat on the lake, which lies inland 100km northeast of Los Angeles, at about 1pm last Wednesday with her son, Josey Hollis Dorsey.
"We know from speaking with her son that he and Naya swam in the lake together at some point during their journey," the sheriff said today. "It was during that time that her son described being helped into the boat by Naya who boosted him onto the deck from behind. "He told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water."
Police have speculated that Rivera saved her son when the pair got caught in a current while swimming.
Naya Rivera's father, George Rivera, right, and mother Yolanda, left, with members of Ventura County Sheriff's Office are seen in a boat after Naya Rivera's body was found in Lake Piru. Photo / AP
"There are a lot of currents on the lake that appear particular in the afternoon," the sheriff said. "We believe it was midafternoon when she disappeared. The idea being perhaps that the boat started drifting, it was unanchored, and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat but not enough to save herself."
Rivera's body has been taken to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy and her dental records will be examined to provide a positive identification.
