Chet Walker, famous Broadway dancer, choreographer, and creator of the hit musical Fosse, has passed away at age 68. The Broadway star passed away on October 21st, surrounded by family in his home in Cornelius, North Carolina. He reportedly passed away due to a glioblastoma tumor, which attacks a person’s nerves, spine, and brain.
On Broadway, Chet Walker has gone down in history as the creator of Fosse, a three-act dance musical showcasing the work of Bob Fosse, a theatre choreographer who worked on classic shows like Chicago (1975), All That Jazz (1979, Cabaret (1972), Redhead (1959), and Pippin (1972) among many, many others. Chet Walker, who worked as a dance captain on many of Fosse’s shows, teamed up with directors Richard Maltby, Jr. and Ann Reinking as he set out to collect the choreographer’s work into a single musical revue, with Fosse entering rehearsals in 1998 before beginning its Broadway run in January 1999.
According to a review by Curtain Up writer Elyse Sommer, Fosse didn’t attempt to present the dance numbers in their original contexts but instead presents them on a neon-lit stage with “glittery ribbons of curtains”. The dancers in Fosse are dressed simply and monochromatically, in black suits and “itty bitty dresses” with white gloves, bowler hats, and “inevitable Fred Astaire style hats”, Sommer later adds. Fosse would go on to win a Tony Award for Best Musical in 1999, cementing Chet Walker’s fame and his place in Broadway’s lineup of classics.
Chet Walker’s Legacy: Broadway and Beyond
Outside of his involvement with Fosse, Chet Walker would also appear in such as On the Town (1971), where he made his debut at just 16, Lorelei (1974), and Ambassador (1972). His work can also be seen in the 1982 NBC special Loretta Lynn in Big Apple Country, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, and Just Dance for Japan’s CTV. In 2013, Chet Walker served as the choreographer for a revival of Bob Fosse’s Pippin, a work which he received a Tony nomination for.
Offstage, Walker also served as the artistic director for 8 & AH1 Productions, a nonprofit musical theatre dance organization, and served as director of the musical theatre program for two decades at Jacob’s Pillow, a dance center in Massachusetts.
Deadline reports that Chet Walker is survived by his husband, Jack, their daughter Charlie, two sisters, a brother, and a sister-in-law. Chet Walker was 68 years old when he passed away.
