Chita Rivera, the dancer, singer and actress who helped pave the way for Latino performers in Broadway, has died at the age of 91. Her passing was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she died in New York after a brief illness. During the last year she had been busy promoting Chita, A Memoir, which won Best Autobiography at the 2023 International Latino Book Awards.
Chita, born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, was the daughter of Katherine Anderson and Julio Figueroa del Rivero, a Puerto Rican clarinetist and saxophonist for the United States Navy Band. During her stellar career, she always made a point of alluding to her Latino heritage. Back in 2021, she said in an interview: "I think it's vital that we know our heritage, we're proud of our heritage, but that were are a part of the world."
