Broadway legend Chita Rivera has died at 91, and fans and celebrities alike are sharing tributes on social media.
Celebrity News
“Dance among the stars now, Chita.”
Broadway legend Chita Rivera has died, just a week after her 91st birthday. According to the New York Times, her death was announced by her daughter Lisa Mordente in a statement that gave no further details.
The actor is known for originating the roles of Velma in Chicago and Anita in the first production of West Side Story, among other Broadway feats. She was a ten-time Tony nominee, winning Best Actress in a Musical twice for The Rink in 1984 and Kiss of the Spider-Woman in 1993.
Rivera became the first Latina-American woman to receive the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and was awarded with the Tony Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2009.
Immediately, celebrities and Rivera’s fans shared their tributes on social media.
Rachel Zegler, who played Maria in the 2021 movie adaptation of West Side Story, shared a photo with Rivera on X (formerly Twitter). “To the woman who showed me I could, and believed in me when I did, I already miss you,” she wrote. “Rest in peace, Chita.”
She went on to tell the story of how she first saw Rivera in her 2012 Broadway show The Mystery of Edwin Drood when she was a pre-teen. “That was Anita. THE Anita from the original West Side Story cast album that I had played to death,” she said. Seven years later, they met on set of the remake. “Chita looked at me and said, ‘you are so silly and adorable,’” she recalled. “Life made.”
Ariana DeBose, who reprised Anita in the 2021 film, posted an emotional tribute on Instagram. “She was a force. In truth she made me nervous,” she wrote. “To be in her presence was to behold greatness. I always got the sense that she had great expectations, but none greater than the ones she held herself to.”
Catherine Zeta-Jones, who won an Oscar for playing Velma in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago, in which Rivera made a cameo, shared her tribute on Instagram. “There are no words to tell you what an incredible impact you have had on my life,” she wrote. “From dreaming of being you as a little girl, then meeting you and then being deeply connected to you by playing the one and only Velma Kelly in Chicago. There will never, ever, be anyone like you Chita, ever.”
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda called her “the trailblazer for Puerto Rico” on Instagram, sharing the story of how she appeared in his film Tick, Tick… Boom!
“When we filmed the diner scene, she wasn’t available for the shoot dates, so I left a chair empty in the diner for those three days,” he wrote. “Eight months later on our reshoots, she joined us and held court all day. It remains one of the all time joys of my life. She was magnificent. She IS magnificent, not ready for the past tense just yet.”
Fellow Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth shared how much she looked up to Rivera. “There was only you. Then everyone else,” she wrote. “I looked up to you and always will admire you as a talent and mostly as a person! A kick butt woman you were. All the rest of us just wanna be you.”
Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo paid his respects, writing, “A life well lived. An Icon. A friend. Well done Chita Rivera.” Only Murders in the Building actor Jackie Hoffman shared her special memory of Rivera. “My personal experience with Chita Rivera was when she came to Hairspray and said to me: you are so f*cking funny,” she quipped.
Rivera’s The Rink co-star, Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander, posted his own photo with Rivera, calling her “one of the greatest spirits and colleagues” he’s ever known. “She set the bar in every way,” he wrote. “I will cherish her always. Dance in heaven, my friend.”
Mia Farrow called her “an authentic Broadway icon,” sharing a throwback photo. “No one who was fortunate enough to have seen any of her performances, will ever forget the experience,” she wrote. “Thank you to the magnificent, irreplaceable Chita Rivera.” Choreographer Debbie Allen shared a throwback photo of the two, calling her “my mentor, my friend, our goddess of inspiration and joy.”
Star Trek alum George Takei shared a photo from his last encounter with Rivera, when he visited her backstage at her show The Visit. “What a legend on stage,” he wrote. “What a force of pure talent and energy. She will be truly, truly missed. Dance among the stars now, Chita.”

Chita Rivera, one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history, has died at the age of 91.
Chita Rivera, the fire-and-ice dancer, singer and actress who soared into stardom in the original Broadway production of «West Side Story» and captivated audiences for nearly seven decades, died on Tuesday.
She was 91. 
The Broadway star played the role of «Anita» in West Side Story and also starred in Bye Bye Birdie and Chicago.
Rivera is one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history, with 10 nominations and two wins. She’s also been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.