Chita Rivera, 91, died away after a long and illustrious career on Broadway. Rivera won three Tony Awards for her performances in Chicago, Bye Bye Birdie, and West Side Story.
Deadline reports that Rivera’s daughter Lisa Mordente confirmed the news by saying that her mother ‘died peacefully’.
On January 23, 1933, in the nation’s capital, Rivera came into this world as the third of five siblings.
Her early ballet training paid off, and she quickly became a Broadway star, appearing in the original casts of Guys & Dolls, Can-Can, and Mr. Wonderful.
Rivera became one of Broadway’s biggest performers thanks to West Side Story. She was also a trailblazer in Latina representation on Broadway and an amazing dancer and singer.
In addition, she played lead roles in two other iconic musicals, originating Velma Kelly in Chicago
in 1975 and Rose in Bye Bye Birdie in 1960. Her performances in both productions earned her nominations for Tony Awards.
Despite having to have two operations after a car accident in 1986 broke her left leg, Rivera was adamant about dancing and made a comeback to the Broadway stage seven years later.
‘I’ll never wear ballet slippers again because my Achilles tendon is missing.’ In 1993, she told the New York Times,
‘I can’t do the full stretch.’ However, I’m no longer in pain. The only issue is that my leg triggers airport metal detectors.
For the musical The Rink in 1984 and for her Broadway return in 1993’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, both composed by her regular collaborators Kander & Ebb,
Rivera was awarded two Tony Awards for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. In 2018, she was honored with a third Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Rivera was a mainstay of the Broadway theater for six decades. Her later appearances included The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Nine, the autobiographical revue Chita Rivera:
The Dancer’s Life, and her farewell musical, The Visit, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award in 2015.
Despite having a career focused mostly on theater, Rivera had cameos in Chicago and Tick, Tick—Boom! and costarred in the 1969 film adaptation of Sweet Charity.
She had appearances on TV shows like Will & Grace, The Carol Burnett Show, and The Judy Garland Show.
The highest civilian award in the US, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was given to her in 2009.