Glee creators pay tribute to Naya Rivera, announce college fund for her four-year-old son

Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan have announced that they are creating a college fund for their show's actor Naya Rivera's four-year-old son, following her death of at the age of 33.

Rivera was confirmed dead by authorities on Monday, 12 July, days after she disappeared during a lake trip with her son. The news of the actor's death came as a shock to the whole team, with the cast, and crew paying tribute to her in their own ways.

However, to honour Rivera's legacy, the creators of American musical comedy series said they "are currently in the process of creating a college fund for the beautiful son Naya loved most of all."

Josey is Rivera’s son with her former husband, actor Ryan Dorsey. She called the boy “my greatest success, and I will never do any better than him.”

Naya Rivera along with her son | Twitter

According to The Hollywood Reporter, show's creators also penned a touching tribute explaining how "heartbroken" they felt over the loss of their "friend" that they "lucked into finding."

"Naya wasn't a series regular when we cast her on Glee. She didn't have more than a few lines in the pilot. But it didn't take more than an episode or two for us to realise that we had lucked into finding one of the most talented, special stars we would ever have the pleasure of working with," the publication quoted the creator's written statement.

They praised Rivera for being someone who could act, dance, since and "nail a joke as well as she could crush you with an emotional scene".

They added, "She could move between being scary, tough and deeply vulnerable with ease. She was a joy to write for, a joy to direct and a joy to be around."

Earlier, the cast of Glee came together and held hands on the shore of Lake Piru, as a moving tribute to their co-star.

Ventura County Sheriff, during a press conference on Monday, confirmed to have found her body at the lake.

Rivera is known for portraying the character of Lopez from 2009 to 2015 which was the finale of the said show. She has received several nominations at Grammys, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Teen Choice Awards for her role in Glee.

Born in Valencia, California, Rivera appeared in several commercials as a toddler and made her debut with CBS sitcom The Royal Family at the age of four. Her other acting credits include shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, and Baywatch.