Naya Rivera's Dad Says It's a 'Tough Situation' Talking to Her Son About His Late Mother

Naya Rivera's father opened up about how her family is coping with her death and helping to raise her son Josey.

During an interview with ET on Tuesday, George Rivera revealed Josey's father, Ryan Dorsey, and Naya's sister, Nickayla, are stepping up to support the young boy after the "Glee" alum drowned while she was swimming with Josey during a boating excursion last year.

"Nickayla and Ryan are doing a really great job," George explained. "Tough situation, especially because he was there -- it's not like you're talking about a ghost that's floating around, right? He's got memories as well, but boy is he coming around, right? Really strong kid."

In July 2020, Naya rented a pontoon boat at California's Lake Piru for a day trip with her then 4-year-old son Josey. Hours later the pontoon was found with Josey sleeping on the deck and Naya missing. After a five-day search, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department discovered Naya's body in a different section of the lake. According to authorities, after Naya and Josey went for a swim in the lake, she struggled to get him back on the boat and eventually drowned.

"We handle him and we talk to him just like he's a 5-year-old going on six," George said of Josey. "It's no different but when he wants to talk about his mother, we talk about his mother, in conversation. He's growing up and handling it really well."

Last week, George revealed he spoke with Naya in a chilling phone call hours before she drowned.

"She would always bounce stuff off me," he explained to People. "And she wanted to go swimming with Josey out in the middle of the lake."

An avid boater, George said he became concerned when Naya said the pontoon did not have an anchor.

"I could see that the wind was blowing and my stomach was just cringing," he explained. "I kept telling her, 'Don't get out of the boat! Don't get out of the boat! It will drift away when you're in the water.'"

The phone call lost connection after about three minutes, which George called "heartbreaking."

"It's still pretty much a big blur of pain almost a year later," George explained. "Things are slowly coming a little more into focus, but I don't know if I'll ever find closure from this. I miss her every day."