Chita Rivera, Broadway Icon, Dead At 91
Chita Rivera, a longtime Broadway star, has died, People reported. A statement given by her rep, Merle Frimark, read, "It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved Broadway icon Chita Rivera. My dear friend of over 40 years was 91." Rivera's cause of death has not been revealed as of this writing, but her daughter, Lisa Mordente, mentioned that Rivera endured a "brief illness." The statement continued, "She is also survived by her siblings Julio, Armando and Lola del Rivero, (her older sister Carmen predeceased her), along with her many nieces, nephews and friends. Her funeral will be private. A memorial service will be announced in due course."
Rivera was a two-time Tony Award-winner and received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002. Over the years, she starred in many iconic Broadway musicals such as "West Side Story" and "Chicago." It was her role as Anita in the musical about two rival gangs in New York City that put Rivera on the map. "West Side Story" would go on to gain even more popularity with its movie version starring Rita Moreno. However, when fans confused Rivera for Moreno, she'd tell them, "I was the original Anita," per her memoir, "Chita." It was her fiery personality and love of the theater that kept her performing, even a year before her death.
Chita Rivera was always a dancer at heart
One of Chita Rivera's last performances was at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in 2023, just after she turned 90 years old. In an interview with CBS, she was asked, "How would you describe the dancer's mindset?" She replied, "Do as you're told!" Rivera added, "That is the way I was taught from the very beginning." Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, Rivera saw herself as having two different personalities. "Chita is, 'Hello, how are you? It's so nice to be here.' Dolores is, 'What is it you want?' It's a darker side. I believe that Dolores is responsible for me having a career. She's the guts. She's the courage," she shared.
Despite her success and fame, Rivera was never a diva and, like many other Broadway stars, got her start in the chorus. "There is something so constructive about being in the chorus. It makes you aware of other people and the entire picture of the stage: the front, the middle, the back, the sides," she told Harvard Business Review. As a star, she never forgot where she came from, and stated, "You get so much by being humble. And I don't care how old you are, you should be constantly learning from the smallest names to the biggest."