Broadway icon Chita Rivera dies at 91

Associated Press
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

**Related Video Above: Remembering the celebrities who died in 2023**

NEW YORK (AP) — Chita Rivera, the dynamic dancer, singer and actress who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists and shrugged off a near-fatal car accident, died Tuesday. She was 91.

Rivera’s death was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she died in New York after a brief illness.

State announces $1.95M tax credit for Playhouse Square development project

Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of “West Side Story” and was still dancing on Broadway with her trademark energy a half-century later in 2015’s “The Visit.”

  • FILE – Chita Rivera arrives at the 72nd annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in New York. Rivera, the Tony Award-winning dancer, singer and actress who forged a path for Latina artists, has died at 91. Rivera’s death was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she died in New York after a brief illness. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
  • Actresses Chita Rivera, right, and Liza Minnelli, who co-star in the musical “The Rink,” at the Martin Beck Theater in New York Feb 9th , are seen, Jan. 1984. (AP Photo)
    Actresses Chita Rivera, right, and Liza Minnelli, who co-star in the musical “The Rink,” at the Martin Beck Theater in New York Feb 9th , are seen, Jan. 1984. (AP Photo)
  • This is a photo of Chita Rivera, who was the original cast member in the Broadway musical production of “West Side Story,” in November 1957. (AP Photo)
    This is a photo of Chita Rivera, who was the original cast member in the Broadway musical production of “West Side Story,” in November 1957. (AP Photo)
  • 2020 Kennedy Center honoree Dick Van Dyke hugs former Kennedy Center honoree Chita Rivera during the 43nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on Friday, May 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
    2020 Kennedy Center honoree Dick Van Dyke hugs former Kennedy Center honoree Chita Rivera during the 43nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on Friday, May 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
  • Chita Rivera performs during the “Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin’ to Do” segment of the PBS 2015 Summer TCA Tour held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
    Chita Rivera performs during the “Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin’ to Do” segment of the PBS 2015 Summer TCA Tour held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
  • President Barack Obama presents the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Chita Rivera, who, as a Puerto Rican-American, broke barriers as an actress, singer and dancer to become a Broadway star in West Side Story and was the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award, during ceremonies at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song,” she told The Associated Press then. “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.”

Unique, locally-owned candy shops to support this Valentine’s Day

In August 2009, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the U.S. can give a civilian. Rivera put her hand over her heart and shook her head in wonderment as President Barack Obama presented the medal. In 2013, she was the marshal at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.