Chita Rivera, Broadway star and singer, dead at 91

Chita Rivera, the fire-and-ice dancer, singer and actress who soared into stardom in the original Broadway production of "West Side Story" and captivated audiences for nearly seven decades, died on Tuesday. She was 91.

"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 representative, Merle Frimark, wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. "May her memory be a blessing."

Rivera "died peacefully" in New York following a "brief illness," the actress's daughter, Lisa Mordente, announced in a statement.

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Broadway legend Chita Rivera has died at the age of 91. She is pictured with co-star Ken LeRoy in a stage version of "West Side Story" in Manchester, United Kingdom, in November 1958. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

"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," Mordente added.

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Per the statement, donations in Rivera's memory may be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The Broadway star originated a number of iconic roles, including Anita in "West Side Story," Rose Alvarez in "Bye Bye Birdie" and Velma Kelly in "Chicago."

In 2010, Rivera was honored at the 33rd annual Kennedy Center Honors. (Kris Connor/Getty Images)

Rivera was one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history with 10 nominations, winning in 1984 for "The Rink" and in 1993 for "Kiss of the Spider Woman." In 2018, Rivera was the recipient of the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

"I wouldn’t trade my life in the theater for anything, because theater is life," Rivera said in a speech when accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award.

The actress became the first Latina recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002 and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2009.

During a 2023 appearance on the "Tamron Hall Show," Rivera was asked which of her accolades had confirmed to her that she had "made it."

Rivera made her career breakthrough in "West Side Story." (John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

"When I won the Kennedy Center, I couldn’t believe it," the actress told Hall. ‘I kept saying they’ve made a mistake."

While on the "Tamron Hall Show," Rivera reflected on the secret to her longevity.

"Loving life," she replied. "Being absolutely grateful for your family, for the people that you’ve met."

"Being grateful for all of that," she added, noting that her daughter was the "best production" of her life.

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1933, Rivera attended the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet and later made her Broadway debut in 1951 as the principal dancer in "Call Me Madam." She went on to appear in the Broadway musicals "Guys and Dolls," "Can-Can," "Mr. Wonderful," "Seventh Heaven" and "Shinbone Alley."

Rivera made her career breakthrough in 1957 when she landed the role of Anita, the girlfriend of lead character Maria's brother, Bernardo (Ken LeRoy), in "West Side Story." Rivera also starred as Rose opposite Dick Van Dyke in the original 1960 production of "Bye Bye Birdie," earning her first Tony Award nomination.

Rivera is pictured with co-stars Marty Wilde and Peter Marshall in "Bye Bye Birdie." (Getty)

In 1975, Rivera originated the role of Velma Kelly in the Broadway musical "Chicago" for which she received a Tony Award nomination. Rivera had a small role in the 2002 film version, and Catherine Zeta-Jones won the best supporting actress Oscar as Velma.

She also appeared in the sequel "Bring Back Birdie," "Merlin," "Jerry’s Girls," "Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life," "Nine" and "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The actress was still dancing on Broadway with her trademark energy a half-century after her debut in 2015’s "The Visit."

A year later, Rivera returned to the stage at New York City's Café Carlyle in "An Evening of My Favorite Songs." When asked what kept her performing at the age of 83 at the time, Rivera told Fox News Digital, "I have been in the business for a very long time, and I love the theater, and I have been fortunate enough to have done a lot of really wonderful shows with the most talented genius people."

The actress originated the role of Velma in "Chicago." (L. Wiggers/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

She continued, "And so, I now am doing here memories, stories and a lot of the music and lyrics of some of those shows that I've been blessed enough to do, doing what I love. And not everybody is allowed to do that, or some people don't even know what they do best. But I've been blessed my whole life with great training from the age of 8, and I've kept myself as healthy as I could with God's health."

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"And so I just like to entertain. I like to tell stories. I like the feeling that I get from an audience. It's like having best friends all the time. You laugh, you cry, you do all those emotions. There's always that time, the time when you don't have the job and you wonder what's wrong, but the moment hasn't come. It's just that you're impatient. I think you're a bit more impatient when you're younger than when you're older. I think we all feel that way until we get the next wonderful show where you can dive into it and be involved."

Rivera also appeared in movies, including 1969's "Sweet Charity," 1978's "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," 1983's "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin,'" 2006's "Kalamazoo?" and 2017's "Still Waiting in the Wings."

Rivera and Dick Van Dyke starred together in "The New Dick Van Dyke Show." (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Her final film role was a cameo appearance in Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut "Tick, Tick…Boom," which also starred Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens, Robin de Jesús, Joshua Henry and Judith Light.

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Her television credits included roles in "The Outer Limits," "The Carol Burnett Show," "One Life to Live," "Dora the Explorer" and "Will & Grace." She reunited with Van Dyke in "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," playing the recurring role of Connie Richardson from 1973 to 1974.

In 1986, Rivera's leg was crushed in a near-fatal traffic accident while she was appearing in "Jerry’s Girls." She recovered her dancing skills after months of physical therapy and went on to resume her Broadway career in 1988.

Rivera died following a brief illness, her daughter, Lisa Mordente, announced in a statement. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

"It never entered my mind that I wouldn’t dance again," she told the Associated Press. "Never. I can’t explain to you why. It’s hard work getting back, but that’s what I’m doing."

"My spirit is still there."

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Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco and the Associated Press contributed to this report.