Chita Rivera

Broadway legend Chita Rivera has died, according to multiple sources. She was 91 years old.

Her longtime friend and rep Merle Frimark released a statement this morning (Tuesday, Jan. 30), announcing her death. And her daughter, Lisa Mordente, released a statement saying Rivera had passed following “a brief illness.”

In addition to her daughter, Rivera is also survived by her siblings Julio, Armando and Lola del Rivero, (her older sister Carmen predeceased her), along with many nieces, nephews and friends,” according to her daughter’s statement. The funeral will be private with a public memorial service being planned at a future date. The family asks that any donations in her memory to be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

People Magazine notes that Rivera’s stage credits date back to 1950 and include 30 roles in shows including West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Merlin and Kiss of the Spider Woman. She was the original Velma Kelly in the 1975 production of Chicago on Broadway and played Roxie Hart for the 25th anniversary productions of that show in Toronto, Las Vegas and London.

Rivera won many accolades throughout her life, including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.

In 2015, Rivera starred in The Visit on Broadway. Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer and former Black Tie Dinner Chair Terry Loftis was a producer of the musical. The Visit was Rivera’s final Broadway show.

Rivera visited Dallas many times through the years, including in March 1989 when she came to town to perform in Dallas Cares, a gala AIDS benefit event honoring Dr. Matilda Krim, hosted by Angela Lansbury starring a long list of top performers including Rivera. When the touring show for Caspar starring Rivera came to Fair Park Music Hall in August of 2001, she took the time to bring a crew of the cast members to The Round-Up Saloon one night where she hosted a performance benefitting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Rivera returned to Dallas in May of 2006 with the touring production of Kiss of the Spider Woman, and she was back in September that same year to headline the annual Disciples of Trinity Benefit Gala.

— Tammye Nash & David Taffet