Naya Rivera’s Ex, Tahj Mowry, Gets Candid About His Grief & Love For The Late Actress

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Naya Rivera’s death, her ex-boyfriend Tahj Mowry is opening up about his grief.

The ‘Glee’ actress tragically passed away on July 8, 2020, after an innocent family outing went horribly wrong.

Last July, Naya had taken her son out for a boat ride on Lake Piru in Ventura, California. At some point during the trip, they got off of the boat for a swim in the lake.

Unfortunately, during their swim Naya was unable to stay above water and drowned. She was able to get her son, Josey, up on the boat to safety. He was found sleeping on the boat with his life jacket on.

Her body was recovered five days later.

In a new interview with E! News, Naya’s ex-boyfriend, Tahj, gets candid about losing her and the love he still has for her.

You may remember Tahj from The WB’s “Smart Guy” or more recently his ABC Family sitcom, “Baby Daddy.” He's also the younger brother of "Sister, Sister" stars Tia and Tamera Mowry.

Tahj and Naya dated on-and-off during their adolescence and he has called her “his first everything.”

The actor, who is the first to admit that he is not the one to have lost a daughter or a sister or the mother of his child, still feels immense grief and pain over her death.

"I know I'm going through my feelings, but nothing can ever...I can't even imagine what it would feel like,” the actor said. “Yes, I have my own feelings and emotions about her and what happened but they can't relate [to what her immediate family has gone through.]”

Tahj continued, "I want to give respect to their grief, and they're family to me and always have...I'm just thankful that I am still able to keep in contact with them."

At the time of the accident and while the search for Naya continued, Tahj took to social media and wrote, “No woman has ever measured up what you gave me or how you made me feel. I've never liked to admit it but I have never stopped loving you. A part of me always wished for the day where God would bring us back together to be what we dreamt we could have been."

The ”Baby Daddy” star said that he would be spending time with Naya at her grave site on the anniversary of her death.

"I'm probably just going to spend some time with her where she is right now at her site," he told the outlet. "I've been there before, obviously, but I think that's the main thing that I want to do."

Despite their on-and-off relationship, Tahj and Naya remained friends after their split.

Naya went on to marry Ryan Dorsey in 2014 and the two welcomed their son, Josey, in 2015. The two would divorce in 2018.