She’s survived by three siblings and her daughter.
Rivera was an outstanding dancer, singer, and actor, and her career in the theater spanned decades.
She was nominated for 10 Tony awards, and she won for best actress in a musical twice.
Her mother was Scottish American while her father, who died when she was seven, was Puerto Rican.
She was one of five children, and her career dreams as a young girl reflected her Catholic upbringing.
But then I went and fell through the coffee table and my mother put me in ballet school."
The goal was to give Rivera a way to channel her energy, and it worked.
Even though Rivera changed her name, “Dolores” still stayed with her as a fiery alter ego.
As she explained toAARP, “Chita got along with everybody.
She was the performer, the people pleaser.
She’d tell it like it was, like Anita.”
That was the same year she married “West Side Story” dancer Tony Mordente.
Tony and Rivera divorced in 1966.
Rivera’s Broadway star power solidified after “West Side Story.”
She received her tenth Tony nomination for her final Broadway role in 2015 for “The Visit.”
In 2002, Rivera became the first Hispanic American woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honor.
Then in 2009, Barack Obama awarded her a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“When you hear Chita, you see Chita,” he said.
She’ll certainly be missed.
