Naya Rivera's TV Mom Gloria Estefan & Glee Co-Star Jane Lynch Open Up About Their Loss

It’s been nearly a month since the heartbreaking death of Naya Rivera, and her castmates and loved ones are still coming to terms with her loss.

We’ve heard beautiful reflections on the 33-year-old’s life and legacy from her family; on Wednesday, her TV family shared thoughts as well. Gloria Estefan, who played Santana’s mother on Glee, spoke to Andy Cohen about the actress’s passing on his SiriusXM radio show.

On working with Naya, she recalled:

“When I was there, they were at their peak of fame, so a lot of the kids, y’know, were great, a lot of them weren’t handling fame that well, and didn’t have the kind of rapport that Naya had. Naya was really down to earth and warm, and it was a joy to play her mom. And she had really amazing chops, singing.”

The music icon noted she was supposed to help produce some of Rivera’s music before she became pregnant with her son, Josey. She continued:

“[When] I heard what had happened and I saw that the baby had been on board, even though I was praying beyond words that maybe she’d been caught up in a riptide, and somehow ended up landing in some other part around that lake… y’know, deep down inside, as a mom, you know that she would never have left that baby alone on the boat, so something terrible must have happened.”

Estefan concluded:

“I hope she’s remembered as a wonderful triple threat, and she really was one of our young acting talents, and dancing and singing. It’s just such a shame. It broke my heart when I saw that picture of her mother on her knees by that lake. I can only imagine what that felt like. Nobody wants to be in that situation.”

Also on Wednesday, Jane Lynch, who played Coach Sue Sylvester on the hit show, shared some of her memories of Naya during an appearance on Today. She said:

“She was a force of nature, and it’s just gut-wrenching and heartbreaking that she’s gone. I think that one of the things that kind of got lost when we were doing the show was what a force she was because there were so many talented people. She was one of those people — she wasn’t in every scene, but when she was … she just blew everybody away.”

The 60-year-old added:

“My niece Megan was very close with Naya, and Megan always said that, with Naya, you felt like somebody had your back. She was somebody who wasn’t going to let anybody mess with you. She was a great advocate and loved the fact that she and Heather Morris had the lesbian relationship on the show and how much that meant to so many young people.”

We continue to remember Naya and her incredible talent. Our thoughts remain with her family and loved ones.

[Image via WENN, Avalon, Instar & Fox/Netflix]