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Chita Rivera, the boundary-breaking Latina actress and Broadway icon, died on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at the age of 91 years old. Chita, a multi-hyphenate star of the stage, was best known for roles in West Side Story and Chicago, and was a Kennedy Center Honor recipient and a Tony Award winner, among other prestigious honors throughout her seven-decade career.
“It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved Broadway icon Chita Rivera,” her representative Merle Frimark said in a statement, per PEOPLE. “My dear friend of over 40 years was 91. “She is also survived by her siblings Julio, Armando and Lola del Rivero, (her older sister Carmen predeceased her), along with her many nieces, nephews and friends. Her funeral will be private. A memorial service will be announced in due course.”
It was Chita’s daughter Lisa Mordente, however, who initially broke the news of her mother’s death in a statement noting that she died “peacefully” after a “brief illness,” per The Hollywood Reporter. Lisa is an accomplished actress in her own right, and holds the distinction of being Chita’s closest family member and her only child.
Amid news of her death, get to know Chita’s only daughter, Lisa Mordente, below.
Chita Welcomed Lisa With Ex-Husband Tony Mordente
Lisa’s parents Tony and Chita pose with their daughter in 2005. (Carolyn Contino/BEI/Shutterstock)
Chita married West Side Story dancer Tony Mordente on December 1, 1957, in Hyde Park, New York. She gave birth to their only child, Lisa, on July 30, 1958, and Chita and Tony parted ways and divorced in 1966. According to Closer Weekly, following Lisa’s birth, the couple both appeared in the West End production of West Side Story.
Lisa grew up in Broadway, watching both her parents achieve her dreams. During a 2020 interview, Chita recalled her daughter being tiny when the young family traveled to England to perform. “My daughter was a year old the first time we went there and the second time, with Birdie, she was 3 years old,” she told The Cinematic Journal at the time, also referring to performances in Bye Bye Birdie. “Each one of those shows was a big hit and the audiences were wonderful. I’ve had the opportunity to not just work in England, but to live, have neighbors, and have a life there. We have many many friends in England.”
The former couple maintained an amicable relationship, and even made public appearances together through the years.
Lisa Is an Actress
Lisa was certainly influenced by her parents, and followed in their footsteps. Now 65, Lisa appeared in TV shows throughout the 70s and 80s including The Cosby Show, Viva Valdez, Starsky and Hutch, Welcome Back, Kotter, and The A-Team.
In a 2002 interview, she shared how her mom taught her to keep work and acting life separate. “She is so unaffected, almost as though she is a star in spite of herself. She taught me the difference between showbiz life and real life and [how] never the twain shall meet,” she told the Washington Times. “We had dinner at 4 p.m. every day at the table with placemats and no TV. There was Mom, and there was the lady I would sit in the orchestra pit and watch onstage. I never got the two mixed up.”
She’s a Tony Award Nominee
Lisa made her Broadway debut in the musical Platinum in 1978, opposite Alexis Smith. Just a few years later, in 1981, she starred in Marlowe, and the performance was outstanding — Lisa picked up a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical.
Lisa is a Choreographer
Like her mother and father, Lisa is a triple threat, and her talent for dance also extends to choreography. She was a choreographer for the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg–led comedy Sister Act, as well as 1978’s The End, starring Burt Reynolds.
According to her Wikipedia page, Lisa also served as assistant to the choreographer for the production of The Who’s Tommy in 1993.
She’s Been Married
When she worked on The Who’s Tommy, Lisa met House of Cards and Jersey Boys actor and performer Donnie Kehr. According to Closer Weekly, the former couple tied the knot in 1993, with Chad Lowe standing by as best man. The relationship ran its course, however, and the couple divorced, though it’s not publicly known when they parted ways.
