Broadway Legend Chita Rivera Dies at Age 91 Following ‘Brief Illness’

Broadway legend Chita Rivera died on Tuesday, January 30. She was 91.

"It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved Broadway icon Chita Rivera,” her publicist Merle Frimark shared in a statement to Us Weekly. “My dear friend of over 40 years was 91.”

Rivera’s daughter, Lisa Mordente, revealed that Rivera “died peacefully” in New York “after a brief illness” in a separate statement.

“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,” Frimark’s statement continued. “A memorial service will be announced in due course. Lisa respectfully requests privacy at this time.” Rivera was married to Lisa’s father, dancer Tony Mordente, from 1957 to 1966.

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Mordente also shared that any donations in Rivera’s memory can be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero) had a career that spanned over 70 years. The Washington, D.C., native originated the role of Anita in Broadway’s West Side Story in 1957. Nearly two decades later, she originated the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago during its Broadway debut in 1975 and made a cameo in the 2002 movie version.

Over the years, Rivera has also appeared in Broadway productions of Bye Bye Birdie, Merlin, The Rink, Jerry’s Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Nine, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and The Visit.

She also appeared in film adaptations of Sweet Charity and Tick, Tick... Boom! as well as TV shows including The Carol Burnett Show and Will & Grace, among others.

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Throughout her extensive theater career, Rivera has also been awarded two Tonys, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1993 and the Lifetime Achievement in Theatre in 2018.

Months before her passing Rivera looked back on her long career, when releasing Chita: A Memoir in April 2023.

“You get so much by being humble,” she told the Harvard Business Review in their July–August 2023 issue, while promoting the book. “And I don’t care how old you are, you should be constantly learning from the smallest names to the biggest. Every moment could be the one when you drop dead, and every day is the first day of the rest of your life.”