There is nothing more terrible than the news that a person is no longer with us, but sadly news broke that Chita Rivera has passed away.
Tony Award winner Chita Rivera passes away at age 91
Merle Frimark, Rivera’s longtime publicist, told CNN on Tuesday that the news was true and that Rivera had passed away “peacefully” on Tuesday “in New York after a brief illness.”
With a stellar Broadway career spanning decades, Rivera played iconic roles in such Bob Fosse musicals as “Chicago” and “All That Jazz,” as well as Anita in “West Side Story” and opposite Dick Van Dyke in “Bye Bye Birdie.” Rivera received a record ten Tony Award nominations, winning two for “The Roller Rink” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”
An employee of the Broadway version of “Chicago” currently playing told CBS New York that Rivera would stop by from time to time to see a performance and encourage new talent.
“She paved the way for all the women you see on Broadway today,” said Rob Bowman, current conductor and musical director of “Chicago.”
“Her love, her joy and her passion for what she was doing rubbed off on all of us,” Bowman added.
On Tuesday night, the current cast of “Chicago” paid tribute to the musical’s original star.
“I think paving the way for women of color is a testament to who she was as a person and what a giant she was, not only in the industry, but also in pop culture in general,” said Geia Asperas.
After her Puerto Rican father passed away, Rivera was raised by a single mother after being born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington, D.C. At an early age, she was awarded a scholarship to study ballet in New York. Let’s hope he finds his family at peace and wish him a good rest.
