Celebs Pay Tribute To Chita Rivera After Her Death At 91

Broadway legend Chita Rivera died on Jan. 30, a week after her 91st birthday. According to the New York Times, her daughter, Lisa Mordente, announced Rivera’s death in a statement that provided no further details.

The actor, a 10-time Tony nominee, originated a slew of classical stage roles, from Velma in Chicago to Anita in the first production of West Side Story. She won the Tony Award for 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. In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she was honored with the Tony Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Rivera’s fans, many of them A-listers, quickly turned to social media to celebrate the actor’s life.

West Side Story & Chicago Stars Pay Tribute

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 a story of seeing Rivera in the Broadway show The Mystery of Edwin Drood, when Zegler was a pre-teen. “That was Anita. THE Anita from the original West Side Story cast album that I had played to death,” she wrote.

Seven years later, they met on the set of the West Side Story remake. “Chita looked at me and said, ‘you are so silly and adorable,’” Zegler added on X. “Life made.”

Ariana DeBose, who played Anita opposite Zegler 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.”

Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the first film adaptation of West Side Story in 1961, called Rivera “eternal” in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.

“I remember seeing her for the first time in Mr. Wonderful and exclaiming, ‘Oh my God, who is that?’” she wrote. “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. As I write this, I am raising a glass to this remarkable woman and friend.”

Actor Debbie Allen, who reprised Anita in a 1980 Broadway revival, shared a photo of herself and Rivera on X, calling her “my mentor, my friend, our goddess of inspiration and joy.”

Catherine Zeta-Jones, who won an Oscar for playing Velma in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago, in which Rivera made a cameo, shared a 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.”

Broadway Fans & Stars Honor Rivera

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 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 a special memory. “My personal experience with Chita Rivera was when she came to Hairspray and said to me: you are so f*cking funny,” she said.

Rivera’s The Rink co-star, Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander, posted a 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 said. “Thank you to the magnificent, irreplaceable Chita Rivera.”

Star Trek alum George Takei, who starred in the musical Allegiance, posted a photo from his last encounter with Rivera, when he visited her backstage at a show. “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.”