‘Beloved Broadway icon’ Chita Rivera dead at 91

Tony Award-winning star Chita Rivera has died at the age of 91.

The Broadway legend, whose career spanned seven decades on the stage, was confirmed dead by her friend Merle Frimark on Tuesday.

“It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved Broadway icon Chita Rivera. My dear friend of over 40 years was 91,” the statement read.

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In a statement to NBC News, Rivera’s daughter, Lisa Mordente, said her mother died Tuesday in New York “after a brief illness”.

“She was one of the few performers who put their stamp on Broadway in virtually every decade,” said performance historian Brian Herrera of Princeton University.

“She was a treasure of the American theatre.”

Unlike some theatre stars who leave Broadway for television and film, or dancers who transition into choreographers, Rivera never lost her love of being on stage.

“She was a performer, through and through,” Herrera said.

“She was remarkable, not only for her achievements, but because she was extraordinarily beloved.”

Of Puerto Rican heritage, Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero was born in Washington DC in 1933.

By age 16, she had auditioned for famed choreographer George Balanchine and moved to New York City to attend the School of American Ballet.

Her early Broadway career included roles in Guys and Dolls (1953) and Can-Can (1954).

Some of her most famous stage roles included Anita in West Side Story, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Rivera went on to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom from former US President Barack Obama and a Kennedy Centre Honour in 2009.

Rivera also did work off the stage such as making appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Judy Garland Show.

She had a role in Sweet Charity, playing Nicki in the 1969 musical movie.

The star had 10 Tony Award nominations across her career.

She took home three of the awards, including the special award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.

– With NBC