The “Glee” star tragically drowned this past summer.
Naya Rivera Wasn’t Included in the Grammys In Memoriam Tribute, and Fans Are Livid
Naya Rivera fans are very upset at the 2021 Grammys.
The annual music awards show went down on Sunday, March 14, and, as always, it included a tribute to the musicians and music industry members we lost in 2020. Noticeably absent from the segment was Rivera.
Rivera, of course, played Santana Lopez on Glee for many years, but she also released a few singles and an E.P. of her own. She died on July 8, 2020, in a drowning accident while boating with her son, Josey, who was unharmed.
https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1371274659845480449Since then, her Glee costars have honored her memory with a holiday fundraiser, and many of her friends and collaborators have posted tributes to her talent and loving spirit. But when it came to the Grammys, there was no mention of her, even though she was technically a two-time nominee; the Glee cast received nominations in 2011 and 2012 for covers on the show. (The Grammys website seems to count only the first nomination but…still…she's on the site!)
Fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment that Rivera's name was not included in the live telecast. Many think it was a “snub” that her name didn't appear in the video played during the broadcast.
https://twitter.com/willowhalliwell/status/1371481324813422593https://twitter.com/lizzyddddd/status/1371483765588045828https://twitter.com/makeupjunkie002/status/1371489260222709762For what it's worth, she is included in the full list of “tributes” available online; according to the Grammys site, all the names were printed in the official program, but only “some” were “highlighted” in the live video tribute. For comparison and context, after Glee star Cory Monteith died in 2013, he was included in the following year's in memoriam on-air tribute…although his last name was misspelled.
If you're a Naya Rivera fan looking to mourn and remember her in a more significant way, there is perhaps no better homage than her costar Amber Riley's incredible tribute.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Elizabeth Logan
