The Broadway community mourns the loss of one of its brightest stars, Chita Rivera, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 91 after a brief illness. Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Lisa Mordente. Rivera leaves behind a legacy of dance, song, and theatrical performances that reshaped the landscape of American theater and carved a path for Latina artists.
Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero on January 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C., to a Puerto Rican father and a mother of Scottish-Italian descent, Rivera’s passion for dance led her to the School of American Ballet in New York. At just 17, she embarked on her first theater gig with the touring company of Call Me Madam, paving the way for a storied career across the stages of Broadway.
Her breakthrough role came in 1957, captivating audiences as Anita in the original production of West Side Story. She exemplified vitality even at the age of 82 when she gave a stunning performance in The Visit in 2015. Rivera once expressed, “I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song. 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.”
Rivera’s accolades include the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to her in 2009, and in 2013 she proudly served as the marshal at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. Her tenacity was evident not just in her performances but in her personal life when she overcame a severe injury from a 1986 car accident that crushed her right leg. Instead of succumbing to despair, she pushed through with remarkable resilience, returning to stellar performances that continued to earn her critical acclaim.
In her career, Rivera achieved an impressive 10 Tony nominations, winning two—for the 1984 musical The Rink, where she notably triumphed over fellow nominee Liza Minnelli, and for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1993. In 2018, she graciously accepted a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, leaving us a poignant reminder: “I wouldn’t trade my life in the theater for anything, because theater is life.”
Rivera’s collaborations with Broadway’s renowned talents—Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Fosse—further solidified her status as a theatrical legend. Her work shone a spotlight on original musicals, which she firmly believed were crucial to theater’s impactful and adventurous storytelling. Rivera lamented the scarcity of original musicals but felt blessed for her experiences in the ones that dared to transport audiences to new realms.
Her foray into recording produced 16 tracks from original cast recordings as part of Sony’s Legends of Broadway series, and two solo CDs—”And Now I Sing” and “And Now I Swing”—showcasing her vocal prowess. The multitalented star played a spectrum of characters over the years, including the dazzling Velma Kelly in Chicago and the dream-fulfilling movie star in Kiss of the Spider Woman, based on a novel by Manuel Puig that had also been translated to an Oscar-winning film.
Rivera’s talent and influence extended beyond the stage. She appeared in films, analyzed in her 2023 memoir “Chita: A Memoir,” featuring a fierce alter ego named Dolores, both a source of inspiration and a channel for her unadulterated views. Her personal life was as rich as her stage presence; she was once in a relationship with the late entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and married fellow West Side Story performer Tony Mordente in 1957, with whom she had her daughter, Lisa Mordente, a Tony-nominated performer herself.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, a contemporary Broadway luminary, expressed his joy at having Rivera feature in his 2021 film adaptation of Tick, Tick… Boom, calling the experience one of the all-time joys of his life. Rivera’s colleagues and adoring fans are left with a treasure trove of memories and performances that will continue to inspire future generations. As the world of theater, cinema, and dance bids farewell to this iconic figure, Rivera’s spirit—an embodiment of perseverance, talent, and passion—will undoubtedly live on.
