Harry Shum Jr. pens letter to Naya Rivera vowing to ‘keep her legacy and spirit alive’ for her son

Harry Shum Jr. penned an emotional letter to his Glee co-star Naya Rivera, who was confirmed dead on Monday after having disappeared during a lake outing with her son on July 8.

In the letter, the 38-year-old actor referred to Rivera as ‘the life of the party’ and vowed to ‘keep [her] legacy and spirit alive’ for her four-year-old son Josey.

‘I’m failing miserably to process this news. I always imagined old future senior moments where we would hear your infectious laughter down the hall knowing our funny bone was in for a treat,’ began Harry.  

He reflected on Rivera’s ‘shining’ qualities that made her such valuable friend and co-star.

‘To many people, myself included, you were the life of the party. Not only able to rock when fun was to be had after a long day, but that shining friend that was always willing to listen, offer sympathy, perspective and at times, give much needed levity to any situation.

Harry recalled watching Naya ‘pour [her] heart’ in every performance on Glee and how he admired her work ethic.

‘You were a beast on the show. I admired you as I watched you nail multi page monologues that you learned moments before and pour your heart into every performance with an energy that had that snicks special written all over it. 

‘Our deep conversation about life in between scenes are some of my favorite moments with you. Getting to hear about your hopes and dreams for the future.’

Harry noted that the arrival of Naya’s son Josey in 2015 was something she deemed as her ‘greatest success’ and that he was ‘so happy to see [her] dream turn into reality.’ 

Rivera – who was only 33-years-old at the time of her death – shares her son with ex Ryan Dorsey, 36.

Harry continued: ‘You deserved more. I’m so sorry, but you deserved more. You gave life your all and I hope all the good that you have given to the world will be returned in abundance when you reunite with with our brother in the heavenly skies.’

The ‘brother in the heavenly skies’ Harry was referring to was Glee star Cory Monteith who passed away at the age of 31 from an accidental drug overdose in 2013.

‘I’m so grateful for our memories. We will make sure to keep your legacy and spirit alive so Josey will grow up to know the woman you were. 

‘Love you, Naya. You are already missed. Eternally,’ concluded Harry, who played the role of Mike Chang on Glee. 

Glee premiered on Fox in 2009 and followed the day-to-day lives of the members of a high school glee club.

The series aired for a total of six seasons, with the finale episode premiering in March of 2015.