Chita Rivera was six months pregnant when performing on ‘West Side Story’

Chita Rivera was unstoppable, even when she was six months pregnant! The late actress, who died Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at age 91, was reportedly expecting when performing on West Side Story.

According to People, the Broadway legend recalled on CBS’s Sunday Morning how her gynecologist panicked after seeing her dancing onstage while pregnant. “Yes. My gynecologist had a heart attack when he finally saw the show. But I had kept in shape,” she said. Rivera, known for the 1957 role of Anita, was pregnant with a daughter, Lisa, at the time. She welcomed her with her ex-husband, Tony Mordente.

© GettyImages

Chita also said that dancing “helped [her] to survive stardom” because “being a dancer gave me the ability to fight, and to withstand, and to cope. If I come back, I want to come back a dancer. That would be my second life.”

A true Latina icon

The legendary Broadway star, who paved the way for Latinas in the entertainment industry, accepted the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, and revealed that she “wouldn’t trade [her] life in the theater for anything, because theater is life.”

Rivera’s daughter, Lisa Mordente, announced her mother’s passing in New York after a brief illness. The talented actress received numerous accolades throughout her life for her incredible performances, including ten Tony Award nominations. She won the Tony Awards for her roles in “The Rink” in 1984 and “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in 1993, which were highly praised by critics and audiences alike.

© GettyImages

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero was born on January 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C, to a Puerto Rican father, and her mother was of Scottish, Irish, and African-American descent. She was a renowned ballerina who began her career very young. She enrolled in the School of American Ballet, where she received rigorous training and learned the art of ballet dancing. After completing her studies, she embarked on her journey on Broadway, where she displayed her exceptional dancing skills and made a name for herself in the performing arts world. Her talent and dedication to her craft earned her numerous accolades and recognition throughout her illustrious career.

During an interview with AP in 2023, Rivera gave an insight into her journey to stardom. “I consist of — and I think we all do — I consist of two people: Dolores and Conchita,” she said to the publication. “Conchita, she’s the one that has been taking all the glory, you know. She’s been doing all the shows, but Dolores is the one that’s pushed her into it. And she’s been keeping me on track, so I listen to Dolores. I listen to her. She’s growing in my head now as we speak.”