Tuesday marked the passing of Chita Rivera, the fire-and-ice dancer, singer, and actress who shot to fame in the original Broadway version of “West Side Story” and won over fans for almost 70 years. She was ninety-one.
“I must announce with deep personal sadness the passing of the cherished Broadway legend Chita Rivera. Merle Frimark, a spokesman for Rivera, said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “My dear friend of over 40 years was 91.” “May her memory be a blessing.”
After a “brief illness,” Rivera “died peacefully” in New York, according to a statement released by the actress’s daughter, Lisa Mordente.
Along with her numerous nieces, nephews, and friends, she is also survived by her siblings Julio, Armando, and Lola del Rivero (her older sister Carmen predeceased her). There will be no public funeral for her. In due course, a memorial service will be announced, Mordente continued.
Broadway Star’s Shining Career
A number of iconic roles were created by the Broadway superstar, including Anita in “West Side Story,” Rose Alvarez in “Bye Bye Birdie,” and Velma Kelly in “Chicago.”
Rivera received ten Tony Award nominations, making her one of the most-nominated performers in the annals of the award’s recipients. She won for “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in 1993 and “The Rink” in 1984. Rivera was honored with the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.
“Because theater is life, I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Rivera said in a speech in which she accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2002, the actress was honored as the inaugural Latina recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor. In 2009, President Obama bestowed upon her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Rivera was asked during a 2023 appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show” which of her accomplishments had given her the confidence that she had “arrived at her pinnacle.”
Initial Breakthroughs of Chita Rivera
After attending the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet after being born in Washington, D.C., in 1933, Rivera debuted on Broadway in 1951 as the principal dancer in “Call Me Madam.” She subsequently appeared in “Shinbone Alley,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Can-Can,” “Mr. Wonderful,” and “Guys and Dolls” on Broadway.
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Rivera achieved a significant professional milestone in 1957 when she was cast as Anita, the romantic partner of Bernardo (Ken LeRoy), the sibling of the main character Maria, in the musical “West Side Story.” With her performance as Rose opposite Dick Van Dyke in the original 1960 production of “Bye Bye Birdie,” Rivera was nominated for her first Tony Award.
Rivera debuted the character of Velma Kelly in the 1975 Broadway musical “Chicago,” for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Rivera had a small role in the 2002 film adaptation, while Catherine Zeta-Jones appeared as Velma and earned the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
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She also appeared in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life,” “Nine,” and “Bring Back Birdie,” all of which were sequels. Fifty years following her début in “The Visit” in 2015, the actress continued to exude her signature vitality while dancing on Broadway.
Rivera appeared at the Café Carlyle in New York City one year later, performing “An Evening of My Favorite Songs.” Rivera told Fox News Digital at the time, in response to the question of what kept her performing at the age of 83, “I have been in the business for a very long time, I adore the theater, and I have had the good fortune to have collaborated with some of the most gifted and talented individuals on several spectacular productions.”
Personal Life of Chita Rivera
Rivera wed Tony Mordente, a fellow West Side Story dancer, on December 1, 1957. Because of how crucial her performance was to the show’s success, the London run of West Side Story was delayed until after she gave birth to the couple’s daughter Lisa in 1958. 1966 saw their divorce. Rivera practiced Catholicism.