Chita Rivera dead at 91: West Side Story star and Broadway legend dies after ‘brief’ battle with illness
LEGENDARY Broadway star Chita Rivera has died.
The two-time Tony winner passed away peacefully in New York following a brief illness at the age of 91.
Chita’s death was confirmed by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, according to Deadline.
Chita may have been best known for originating the role of Anita in the first Broadway production of West Side Story, in 1957.
In 1975, she originated the role of Velma Kelly in the original Broadway production of Chicago.
Chita had a small cameo in the 2002 film version, for which Catherine Zeta-Jones won the best supporting actress Oscar playing Velma
She won two Tonys in her illustrious career, for her performances in The Rink in 1984 and Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1993.
Chita also received a lifetime achievement award Tony in 2018.
Outside of the theater world, Chits was recognized with The Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, the highest honor a U.S. citizen can receive, presented by President Barack Obama.
She also received a well-respected Kennedy Center Honor.
Chita was still dancing on Broadway as late as 2015’s “The Visit.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song,” she told The Associated Press then. “That’s the spirit of my life, and I’m really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life.”
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero was born Jan. 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C.
Her father, a musician in the United States Navy Band, died when she was 7.
Chita took dance classes and then entered the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York.
Her first taste of the stage came when she was 17, in the touring company of Call Me Madam.
“I can’t believe that I’ve been given the gift to look back and relive my life,” she told The Associated Press in 2005. “Anybody can do it — if you really believe it, you have the good fortune, you do all the right things and you really work hard.”
