Renowned Broadway actress Chita Rivera, a nine-time Tony Award nominee, died Tuesday in New York. She was 91 years old.
Actress, singer and dancer, Chita Rivera rose to international fame playing the role of Anita in the original production West Side Story, first in the theater, in 1957-58, then in the cinema. She was also responsible for the creation of Sweet Charitythen played the title character of Kiss of the Spider Woman and the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago.
Still on Broadway, most recently, she was part of the cast of Ninewith Antonio Banderas and Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), in 2003.
PHOTO ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chita Rivera, center, with Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro, in 1984, at the Tony Awards in New York.
Dancer, singer and actress “of fire and ice”, she symbolized the quintessence of “ triple threat ” on stage. She dazzled audiences for nearly seven decades as a pillar of American musical theater. Moreover, Chita Rivera received the prestigious Kennedy Center distinction, presented by the President of the United States in 2002, and won two Tony Awards as best lead actress in a musical during her illustrious career.
His death was announced in a press release by his daughter, Lisa Mordente. She did not give further details on the cause of his death “from a brief illness”. “It is with immense personal sadness that I announce the passing of beloved Broadway icon Chita Rivera,” said her representative Merle Frimark, also in a press release Tuesday.
PHOTO EVAN AGOSTINI, INVISION ARCHIVES/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chita Rivera in 2018