ENTERTAINMENT Chita Rivera, "West Side Story" star and Latina trailblazer, dies at 91

Latest News: Chita Rivera, Star of Broadway's 'West Side Story', Dies at Age 91

New York, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Chita Rivera, the musical theater legend and Tony Award winner who created the role of Anita on Broadway in "West Side Story" and other unforgettable characters, has died at the age of 91.

Chita Rivera, the jet-black-haired dancer who made history when she created the role of the fiery Puerto Rican woman, Anita, in “West Side Story,” died on January 30, 2024.

She is also noted for being the first recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor among Hispanic women in 2002 and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009.

"With sadness, Lisa Mordente, daughter of Chita Rivera, announces the passing of her beloved mother following a brief illness on Tuesday, January 30, 2024,

in New York," said a statement from his daughter.

Rivera was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won twice. He also received a special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in 2018 for his nearly seven-decade career.

Chita Rivera, who was part of the chorus on the Broadway musicals "Guys and Dolls" and "Can-Can" in the 1950s,

later achieved fame with her role as Velma Kelly in the original Broadway production of "Chicago" in 1975 and creating the role of Rose in "Bye, Bye Birdie" with Dick Van Dyke in 1960.

However,

it was her role as Anita in "West Side Story" performing the song "America" ​​or warning her friends about "A Boy Like That" that made her a star.

Award-winning producer and director Harold Prince once said, "When he lets his limbs move, he is the only one-

the only one who can stop the show, and every choreographer wants that."

Rivera was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero on January 23, 1933 in Washington, D.C. She studied ballet from a young age and won a scholarship to the Balanchine School of American Ballet in New York.

In 1957, she married Tony Mordente,

actors and dancers in the show. She became such an integral part of "West Side Story" that its London production had to be postponed until after she gave birth to her only child, Lisa, in 1958.

Rivera's career was cut short in 1986 when she broke her leg in a car accident in New York while appearing on "Jerry's Girls."

" Despite being told she would never be able to dance again, after intensive physical therapy, she recovered and even won her second Tony for "Kiss of the Spider Woman" in 1993.

In her 70s, when other dancers might have slowed down or retired, she starred in the stage show "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life,

" which combines music, dance and storytelling.

In 2011, in an interview with senior advocacy group AARP, Rivera said, "You really never know what tomorrow will bring you. I have a very youthful outlook.

I don't think you know how much you can do until you try."

In 2024, Chita Rivera left behind an unforgettable artistic legacy that continues to inspire musical lovers around the world.