CNN —Chita Rivera, an iconic performer of stage and screen with credits including “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and “Sweet Charity,” has died.
She was 91.
Rivera’s longtime publicist Merle Frimark confirmed the news to CNN on Tuesday, saying Rivera died “peacefully” on Tuesday “in New York after a brief illness.”The recipient of a record 10 Tony Award nominations, and winner of two for “The Rink” and “The Kiss of the Spider Woman,” Rivera’s unparalleled Broadway career spanned decades, from playing Anita in “West Side Story” and opposite Dick Van Dyke in “Bye Bye Birdie” to signature Bob Fosse musicals like “Chicago” and “All That Jazz.”Although she maintained a dizzying stage schedule, Rivera appeared in a number of movies and TV shows as well, including a screen adaptation of “Sweet Charity” as well as “Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”The honors Rivera amassed included being a Kennedy Center honoree in 2002 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, presented to her by President Obama in 2009.
Frimark included a statement from Rivera’s daughter Lisa Mordente, which mentioned the star’s funeral will be private and that she is survived by her daughter along with siblings Julio, Armando and Lola del Rivero “along with her many nieces, nephews and friends.”This is a developing story and will be updated.
Persons:
Chita Rivera, ”, “, Rivera’s, Merle Frimark, Rivera, Tony, Anita, Dick Van Dyke, “ Bye, Birdie ”, Bob Fosse, Obama, Frimark, Lisa Mordente, Julio, Armando, Lola del Rivero
Organizations:
CNN, Chicago, Broadway, Kennedy
Locations:
”, New York, “