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Rivera first gained prominence in 1957 as Anita in the original production of West Side Story and was still dancing on Broadway half a century later.

Rivera first gained prominence in 1957 as Anita in the original production of West Side Story and was still dancing on Broadway half a century later.

Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of "West Side Story."

The Broadway star first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of "West Side Story."

Chita Rivera, the dynamic dancer, singer and actor who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists and shrugged off a near-fatal car accident, died Tuesday. She was 91. Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of “West Side Story” and was still dancing on Broadway with her trademark energy a half-century later in 2015’s “The Visit.” In August 2009, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the U.S. can give a civilian.