One of Broadway’s most celebrated stars, Chita Rivera, has died at the age of 91, her daughter said in a statement.
Daughter Lisa Mordente said Rivera died peacefully in New York from a brief illness.
The Tony-award winning entertainer is known for her successful theatre career spanning nearly seven decades.
Some of her most notable roles include Anita in West Side Story and Rose in Bye Bye Birdie.
Rivera was born in 1933 in Washington DC to a Puerto Rican father and a mother of Scottish and Irish heritage.
She began her Broadway career in the 1950s, landing roles in productions like Can-Can and Mr Wonderful.
Soon after, Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award her portrayal of Rose in the musical Bye Bye Birdie alongside Dick Van Dyke. A few decades later, she starred in another iconic role: vaudeville performer Velma Kelly in Chicago.
She is celebrated for being a “triple-threat” – singing, dancing and acting in numerous Broadway hits throughout the years, as well as being a trailblazer for Latina women.
Rivera’s last Broadway appearance was in 2015 in The Visit alongside the late Welsh actor and director Roger Rees.
Colleagues and friends of Rivera’s remembered her for her dazzling stage presence and outstanding achievements.
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote that she “redefined the words ‘theatrical legend’.”
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda described Rivera as a “trailblazer” who had many “iconic Broadway roles because she was an absolute original”.
Dick Van Dyke, who starred alongside Rivera in Bye Bye Birdie, said she was “the best that ever was”.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, who won an Oscar for playing Velma in Chicago on screen, said on Instagram: “There are no words to tell you what an incredible impact you have had on my life.
“From dreaming of being you as a little girl, then meeting you and then being deeply connected to you by playing the one and only Velma Kelly in Chicago.
“There will never, ever, be anyone like you Chita, ever. Dim the lights on Broadway! Or, may I suggest, we just plug the plug. I love you Chita, sleep tight my Queen.”
BBC
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