Naya Rivera's son Josey still feels guilt over her tragic drowning, Ryan Dorsey reveals

Nearly five years after Glee star Naya Rivera’s tragic drowning, her ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, reveals their son Josey still carries guilt over that fateful day at Lake Piru.

Josey, who was just four years old when Rivera drowned, has repeatedly expressed feelings of responsibility. “He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under,” Dorsey told PEOPLE. “It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.”

Dorsey shared that Josey remembers seeing a rope on the boat but was too afraid to throw it due to a spider. “He keeps saying, ‘I could have saved her,’” Dorsey said. “I reassure him, ‘Buddy, that rope wouldn’t have reached her.’”

Photo: People

Rivera, 33, drowned on July 8, 2020, after successfully getting Josey back onto their unanchored pontoon boat. Search crews recovered her body five days later. In 2022, Dorsey settled a wrongful death lawsuit against Ventura County, citing safety failures on the rental boat.

Since the tragedy, Dorsey has devoted himself to raising Josey and keeping Rivera’s memory alive. “We made a book of memories that sits by his bed,” he said. “During the holidays, he was crying looking at it. I just tell him, ‘Life isn’t fair, but we have to keep going.’”

Despite the pain, Dorsey is focused on being the best father possible. “He gives me a reason to keep going,” he said.

Photo: People