Darren Criss Remembers Late Glee Costar Naya Rivera: 'Rest in Peace You Wild, Hilarious, Beautiful Angel' (original) (raw)

Darren Criss is remembering is late costar Naya Rivera after her body was recovered from Lake Piru, where she went missing last week while boating with her son Josey, 4.

"She was bold," wrote Criss, 33, in a lengthy Instagram tribute to Rivera, 33, with whom he starred on Glee. "She was outrageous. She was a LOT of fun.⁣"

"Naya made me laugh like no one else on that set. I always said it while we were working together and I’ve maintained it ever since. Her playful, wicked sense of humor never ceased to bring a smile to my face," Criss continued, saying the actress was in a "class of her own."

The American Crime Story actor recalled Rivera's "brashness" and mourned the loss of her talent as an actress and singer.

Naya Rivera, Darren Criss. Bennett Raglin/WireImage

Naya Rivera, Darren Criss. Mike Coppola/Getty Images

"I also always loved her voice, and savored every chance I got to hear her sing. I think she had more talent than we would have ever been able to see," he wrote.

Criss also noted Rivera's fierce love for her family and friends, writing, "She showed up for me on numerous occasions where she didn’t have to, and I was always so grateful for her friendship then, as I certainly am now.⁣"

"And even as I sit here, struggling to comprehend, gutted beyond description- the very thought of her cracks me up and still brings a smile to my face. That was Naya’s gift. And it's a gift that will never go away," Criss concluded. "Rest in peace you wild, hilarious, beautiful angel."

RELATED VIDEO: Glee Star Naya Rivera Dead at 33 After Disappearing on Boating Trip with 4-Year-Old Son

Rivera was reported missing last Wednesday after she and Josey, whom she shares with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, visited Lake Piru to go boating and swimming.

Authorities said Monday that they believe Rivera died saving Josey.

"We know from speaking with her son, that he and Naya swam in the lake together at some point during their journey," Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at a news conference. "It was during that time that her son described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind. He told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water."

Naya Rivera and son Josey. Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

"The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting, it was unanchored, and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself," Ayub said.

Several former Glee cast members and other of former costars of Rivera's gathered at Lake Piru on Monday.

"Some of her cast members from Glee came to the lake and they were allowed to come down to the water's edge, and they, as a group, they prayed for her. And it was shortly after that, that her body was located," Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kevin Donoghue told PEOPLE earlier on Monday.