Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose pay tribute to Chita Rivera, West Side Story's original Anita

Chita is Chita and not Rita.

The character of Anita in West Side Story looms so large in the public imagination that Forbidden Broadway once wrote a parody song about a rumored rivalry between Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno. But now, Moreno is paying tribute to Rivera, who died Tuesday at the age of 91.

Moreno portrayed Anita in the 1961 film adaptation of the musical and won an Oscar for her work, but it was Rivera who originated the role in the 1957 Broadway production.

 "Chita Rivera is eternal," Moreno said in a statement shared with EW. "I remember seeing her for the first time in Mr. Wonderful and exclaiming, 'Oh my God, who is that?' When I found out that this astonishing creature was one of my people, I crowed with pride. Over the years, we were sometimes mistaken for each other, which I always viewed as a badge of honor. She was the essence of Broadway. As I write this, I am raising a glass to this remarkable woman and friend. Chita, amiga, Salud!"

Ariana DeBose, who won an Oscar for her performance as Anita in the 2021 Steven Spielberg-helmed film, also honored the late Tony winner on Instagram. DeBose posted a photo of Rivera as Anita, as well as one of the two women embracing on the Tony Awards stage.

"She was a force," she wrote. "In truth she made me nervous. To be in her presence was to behold greatness. I always got the sense that she had great expectations, but none greater than the ones she held herself to…I am heartbroken and yet ever inspired as she showed so many of us what was possible. Rest well Queen. #ChitaRivera."

Another Anita, Debbie Allen, who earned a Tony nomination for her take on the part in a 1980 Broadway revival, also penned a tribute to Rivera. "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. I will miss touching you, but I will forever hear your laughter and hold that baton of power you tossed my way."

It wasn't only the Anitas who had praise for Rivera. Another Puerto Rican Broadway luminary, composer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, expressed his love for Rivera and the immensity of the loss. "The trailblazer for Puerto Rico on Broadway," he said in a statement shared with EW. "Originated Anita AND Rosie AND Velma Kelly AND The Spider Woman AND so many more iconic Broadway roles because she was an absolute original."

Miranda also shares a connection to West Side Story. He worked with original lyricist Stephen Sondheim to translate song lyrics and some dialogue into Spanish for a 2009 Broadway revival. He also worked with Rivera on his 2021 feature film directorial debut Tick, Tick... Boom! in which Rivera joined other Broadway legends for the "Sunday" number.

"When we filmed the diner scene in ttB (Tick, Tick...Boom!), she wasn’t available for the shoot dates, so I left a chair empty in the diner for those three days," Miranda reflected in his statement. "The whole shoot, people kept trying to move the chair or clear space and I’d have to say no, we’re GOING to get Chita, I don’t know how but we’re going to do it. 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 was magnificent. She IS magnificent, not ready for the past tense just yet."

He concluded: "My heart is with everyone in Chita’s galaxy of family and friends. We’ll be blasting WSS and Bye, Bye Birdie and Chicago and SO MUCH MUSIC, because she left us so much. Gracias, Chita. Alabanza."

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Chita Rivera, legendary Broadway actress, dies at 91
• How Tick, Tick... Boom! pulled off that Broadway star-studded diner scene
• Jennifer Lopez to star in film adaptation of the Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman