Chita is Chita and not Rita.
But now, Moreno is paying tribute to Rivera, whodied Tuesday at the age of 91.
“Chita Rivera is eternal,” Moreno said in a statement shared with EW.
Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, and Ariana DeBose all as Anita in ‘West Side Story’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Everett; Niko Tavernise/20th Century Studios/Courtesy Everett
“I remember seeing her for the first time inMr.
Wonderfuland exclaiming, ‘Oh my God, whoisthat?’
When I found out that this astonishing creature was one of my people, I crowed with pride.
She was the essence of Broadway.
As I write this, I am raising a glass to this remarkable woman and friend.
Chita, amiga, Salud!”
“She was a force,” she wrote.
“In truth she made me nervous.
To be in her presence was to behold greatness.
“CHITA RIVERA ,” she wrote, alongside a photo of the two of them backstage.
“My Mentor, My Friend, Our Goddess of Inspiration and Joy - Thank You.
Every moment of your life has been a treasure of what is possible.
It wasn’t only the Anitas who had praise for Rivera.
“The trailblazer for Puerto Rico on Broadway,” he said in a statement shared with EW.
“When we filmed the diner scene in ttB (Tick, Tick…Boom!
8 months later on our reshoots, she joined us and held court all day.
It remains one of the all-time joys of my life.
She IS magnificent, not ready for the past tense just yet.”
He concluded: “My heart is with everyone in Chitas galaxy of family and friends.
Well be blasting WSS andBye, Bye BirdieandChicagoand SO MUCH MUSIC, because she left us so much.
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