Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
"If I Die Young"
I was writing a song about dying, when I noticed that everyone who writes or sings about death, dies ... and usually tragically.
Naya Rivera was an American actress, singer, and model who received two Grammy nominations for her work on the musical comedy-drama series Glee.
At the beginning of the second season, Riviera was promoted to a series regular because her "magnetism on screen was undeniable". She was given her first solo in the fifth episode of season two, "The Rocky Horror Glee Show", and her role in the show was radically changed when it was revealed that her character was a lesbian.
In 2013, Glee actor Cory Monteith was found in his hotel room, having died of an overdose. Cory died on July 13th ... he was 31.
After Monteith's death, Glee was put on hold, then the show decided to deal with the death by having Monteith's character pass. Riviera was given the task of singing "If I Die Young" as a tribute.
The song, originally performed by The Band Perry, featured a video with a dead woman floating alone in a boat.
In 2020, Rivera's four-year-old son was found asleep, floating alone on a rented boat on Lake Piru. Rivera was declared a missing person and after five days her body was found in lakeby divers. It is assumed that she had been pulled under by the riptide. Rivera's body was found on July 13th, she was 31.
Side Note: I quickly reworked the theme of my tune to be about returning home through space and time (totally not dying). I then dropped the lyrics and turned the melody into a guitar instrumental. That should be safe (youtu.be/1FuUKGrjEGY)!
"If I Die Young"
I was writing a song about dying, when I noticed that everyone who writes or sings about death, dies ... and usually tragically.
Naya Rivera was an American actress, singer, and model who received two Grammy nominations for her work on the musical comedy-drama series Glee.
At the beginning of the second season, Riviera was promoted to a series regular because her "magnetism on screen was undeniable". She was given her first solo in the fifth episode of season two, "The Rocky Horror Glee Show", and her role in the show was radically changed when it was revealed that her character was a lesbian.
In 2013, Glee actor Cory Monteith was found in his hotel room, having died of an overdose. Cory died on July 13th ... he was 31.
After Monteith's death, Glee was put on hold, then the show decided to deal with the death by having Monteith's character pass. Riviera was given the task of singing "If I Die Young" as a tribute.
The song, originally performed by The Band Perry, featured a video with a dead woman floating alone in a boat.
In 2020, Rivera's four-year-old son was found asleep, floating alone on a rented boat on Lake Piru. Rivera was declared a missing person and after five days her body was found in lakeby divers. It is assumed that she had been pulled under by the riptide. Rivera's body was found on July 13th, she was 31.
Side Note: I quickly reworked the theme of my tune to be about returning home through space and time (totally not dying). I then dropped the lyrics and turned the melody into a guitar instrumental. That should be safe (youtu.be/1FuUKGrjEGY)!
