A legend on Broadway and two-time Tony winner Chita Rivera has died. She was best known for playing Anita in the 1957 Broadway production of West Side Story. She was 91 years old.
Her publicist said on Tuesday morning, March 30, that Rivera had died after a short illness.
She could sing, dance, and act, and she was best known for her lead role as Velma Kelly in the first Broadway production of Chicago in 1975. Later, she played Nickie in the movie version of the musical that came out in 2002, which starred Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger.
“A good life lived. A symbol. A buddy. Nominated for an Oscar, Colman Domingo wrote on X, “Well done Chita Rivera,” after hearing the news of Rivera’s death.
“This amazing woman, the one and only.” “Chita Rivera was one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with,” wrote Jason Alexander, who played Jerry Seinfeld. “She raised the bar in every way.” I will always love her. My friend, dance in heaven.”
Rivera was born in Washington, DC, in 1933. When she was 15, a teacher at the School of American Ballet chose her to try out for a spot and a scholarship.
After having small parts in early Broadway shows like Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, and Seventh Heaven, she got the part of Anita in the first Broadway production of West Side Story. She became a Broadway star because of how she played the part.
Rivera received nine Tony nominations over the course of her career. Her first nomination came in 1960 for her role as Rose opposite Dick Van Dyke in Bye Bye Birdie. After that, she won an award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her part in The Rink in 1983 and for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1993.
She was the first Latina oro American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002. In 2009, she was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former US President Barack Obama. She was also given a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2018.
Rivera mostly worked as a stage actor, but she also did some movies and TV shows, like an episode of Will and Grace.
Lisa Mordente, her daughter from her marriage to Tony Mordente, is a singer, dancer, and choreographer. She is also survived by her siblings Julio, Armando, and Lola del Rivero, as well as many nieces and nephews.
