Tributes continue to pour out to the Broadway icon Chita Rivera, who passed away at 91 on January 30. She became the first Latino American to receive the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, the highest civilian award in the United States.
“Why not experience life? It’s beautiful! Phenomenal!” Rivera said.
Rivera rose to stardom for portraying Anita in the original Broadway production of 1957’s West Side Story.
She starred as Velma Kelly in Chicago and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Rivera won three Tony Awards, including one for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre.
“When I found out that this astonishing creature was one of my people, I crowed with pride,” EGOT holder Rita Moreno said. “Over the years, we were sometimes mistaken for each other, which I always viewed as a badge of honor. She was the essence of Broadway. I am raising a glass to this remarkable woman and friend. Chita, amiga, Salud!”
Ariana DeBose, who won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, and SAG awards for playing Rivera’s character ‘Anita’ in the 2021 Steven Spielberg film version of West Side Story, said of Rivera, “She was a force,” DeBose said. “To be in her presence was to behold greatness. I am heartbroken yet inspired as she showed many of us what was possible. Rest well, Queen.”
Rivera’s family said any donations in her memory should be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
People, Daily Beast
