Celebrity Graveland

January 23, 1933 – January 30, 2024

Broadway legends aren’t super rare, but Broadway icons are much more precious and exceptional. And friends, Chita Rivera was an ICON.

Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington D.C., the dancer, actress and singer who would eventually become “Chita Rivera” took dance lessons as a teenager and found her way to New York by way of her growing reputation. By the time she was 18, she was already getting dancing roles in hit Broadway musicals like Guys and Dolls and Can-Can. Then, in 1957, Rivera landed her first featured role: Anita in a new musical called West Side Story.

Her performance as Anita made her an instant star in the New York theatre world. She would go on to originate roles in legendary productions like Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago (opposite Gwen Verdon) and Kiss of the Spider Woman. In all, she was nominated for 10 Tony Awards (winning twice for The Rink and Spider Woman). She also received multiple Theatre World and Drama Desk Awards and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Tonys.

Off the stage, Rivera appeared in a number of films and television shows ranging from 1969’s Sweet Charity to ’90s sitcom, Will and Grace. Her final film appearance was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tick, Tick!…Boom! in 2021. Chita Rivera died in January of 2024 at the age of 91 after a brief illness. She is buried next to her mother in Rockland County, New York.

Burial

Saint Anthony’s Catholic Cemetery – Nanuet, NY

Specific Location

Ostermann Section – In the northeastern section, Chita is buried alongside her mother 7 rows from the northern road and just 3 markers to the west of the sidewalk. Their marker faces north.

This entry was posted on April 29, 2024 at 10:14 am and is filed under Saint Anthony's Catholic Cemetery with tags Actors, Broadway, Dancers, Saint Anthony's Catholic Cemetery, Singers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.