Chet Walker, a Broadway dancer and choreographer who created the Tony-winning 1999 hit musical Fosse, died October 21 at his home in Cornelius, NC, from a glioblastoma tumor. He was 68.
His death was announced by his family. Husband Jack, their daughter Charlie and other family members were at his side when he died.
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Walker began performing on Broadway at the age of 16 when he appeared in the first revival of On the Town in 1971. Other Broadway performing credits include Loreli, The Ambassadors, and four Bob Fosse musicals: The Pajama Game, Pippin, Dancin’ and Sweet Charity.
Walker’s expertise in the work of Fosse was demonstrated in Fosse, a three-act musical featuring songs and dances from such classics as Sweet Charity, Kiss Me, Kate, Damn Yankees, The Pajama Game, Pippin, Cabaret, All That Jazz, Liza with a Z, Dancin’ and others. The show won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1999.
Walker also choreographed the 2013 Tony-winning Broadway revival of Pippin, directed by Diana Paulus. He received a Tony nomination for his work that year.
For television, Walker’s choreography was seen on such shows as the 1982 NBC special Loretta Lynn in Big Apple Country, The Rosie O’Donnell Show and on Japan’s CTV Just Dance.
Walker was the artistic director of 8 & AH1 Productions, a nonprofit musical theater dance company, and he served for nearly two decades as director of the musical theater program at Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshires.
At the time of his death, Walker was at work on two new musicals: Feelin’ in the Mood, The Glenn Miller Musical written by his friend and collaborator Shaun McKenna, and, also with McKenna, Jack Cole, The Musical.
In addition to his husband and daughter, Walker is survived by two sisters, a brother and a sister-in-law.