Chita Rivera dies FILE PHOTO: Chita Rivera attends the Chita Rivera Awards 2023 at NYU Skirball Center on May 22, 2023, in New York City. Rivera died at the age of 91. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
By Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Chita Rivera, the Tony-winning dancer, singer and actress who spent decades performing on Broadway, has died, according to multiple reports. She was 91.
Rivera’s daughter, Lisa Mordente, confirmed Tuesday that she died in New York “after a brief illness,” People reported. No other details were immediately shared, according to The New York Times.
“It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved Broadway icon Chita Rivera,” Frimark said. “My dear friend of over 40 years was 91.”
Over the course of her career, Rivera appeared in dozens of stage productions in New York and London, performed in nearly two dozen films and television shows and logged 100,000 miles on cabaret tours, according to the Times and IMDb. She won two Tony Awards for her performances and was presented with a third for lifetime achievement in theater in 2018. She is tied with two other performers — Audra McDonald and Julie Harris — for the most number of Tony Award nominations at 10.
She also earned honors from the Kennedy Center, which noted that she “is universally regarded as an American national treasure.” In 2009, then-President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom calling her “sassy, electric — that rare performer who can sing, dance and act.”
Rivera earned acclaim in 1957 when she played Anita in the original production of “West Side Story,” The Associated Press reported. She was still performing on Broadway decades later, starring in the musical “The Visit” in 2015.
“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song,” she told the AP at the time. “That’s the spirit of my life, and I’m really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life.”
Rivera is survived by her daughter, three siblings and several nieces and nephews, CNN and Variety reported.
Through the years Scene from the Broadway musical "West Side Story," L-R: Lynn Ross, unnamed actress, Chita Rivera, and Carmen Guitterez. Undated photo. (Photo by �� John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) (John Springer Collection/Corbis via Getty Images)
Through the years American actress and singer Chita Rivera, wearing a turtleneck sweater and playing with her daughter, Lisa Mordente, in London, England, 6th February 1962. Rivera is in London to attend the Evening Standard Theatre Awards. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Evening Standard/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 19: Actress Chita Rivera performs in a scene from "The Carol Burnett Show" which was filmed on February 19, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images) (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
Through the years Actress Chita Rivera and mother Katherine del Rivero attend the 11th Annual Julio Torres Latin American Dance Theater Award Honoring Chita Rivera - After Party on November 18, 1981 at G. Lombardi's Restaurant on Spring Street in New York City, New York. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Through the years View or, from left, American actors Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera, and Liza Minnelli as they attend the opening night party for 'The Rink' at the Roxy, New York, New York, February 9, 1984. (Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images) (Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
Through the years Paula Kelly, Shirley MacLaine and Chita Rivera dance in "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This ' from ' Sweet Charity ' in the tribute to dance movie by MGM movie "That's Dancing!", circa 1985. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 8: Musical theater actress Chita Rivera, one of the recipients of the 2002 Kennedy Center Honors, arrives for a reception December 8, 2002 at the White House in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center selected five individuals, including actor James Earl Jones, conductor James Levine, musical theater actress Chita Rivera, singer Paul Simon and actress Elizabeth Taylor, to be the recipients of the 2002 Kennedy Center Honors for their contributions to the cultural life of the nation. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK - OCTOBER 26: Chita Rivera attends the curtain call on the opening night of "Rain - A Tribute To The Beatles" at Neil Simon Theatre on October 26, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images) (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 05: Chita Rivera poses for photos during the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center Hall of States on December 5, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images) (Kris Connor/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 03: Chita Rivera performs at the Dramatists Guild Fund's 50th Anniversary Gala Honoring John Kander at Mandarin Oriental Hotel on June 3, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Fernando Leon/Getty Images for Dramatists Guild) (Fernando Leon)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Chita Rivera performs at Latino Inaugural 2013: In Performance at Kennedy Center at The Kennedy Center on January 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Latino Inaugural 2013) (Rick Diamond)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Chita Rivera performs onstage at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 45th Annual Induction and Awards at Marriott Marquis Theater on June 12, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame) (Theo Wargo)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 07: Chita Rivera and Michelle Veintimilla perform in 'The Visit' onstage at the 2015 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions) (Theo Wargo)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12:
Sergio Trujillo and Chita Rivera attend the 2016 Tony Awards at The Beacon Theatre on June 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions) (Mike Coppola)
Through the years LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - JULY 27: In this handout photos provided by Disney Parks, Broadway legend Chita Rivera poses with Mickey Mouse July 27, 2016 at Epcot in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Rivera stopped by a Disney Performing Arts musical theater workshop to meet with aspiring actors while vacationing at Walt Disney World Resort. (Photo by Chloe Rice/Disney Parks via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Chita Rivera performs onstage at the 2nd Annual Voices For The Voiceless: Stars For Foster Kids Benefit at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on September 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Voices for the Voiceless) (Anna Webber)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 10: Chita Rivera attends the 72nd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
) (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Tony Awards Pro)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 21: Dick Van Dyke and Chita Rivera attend the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on May 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images) (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26: Chita Rivera and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber speak onstage during the 74th Annual Tony Awards at Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions) (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Pro)
Through the years NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 07: Helen Mirren presents Chita Rivera with an award onstage during the 2022 Roundabout Theatre Company Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on March 07, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 22: Chita Rivera attends the Chita Rivera Awards 2023 at NYU Skirball Center on May 22, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images) (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)