Marta Becket, a dancer who performed for more than four decades at the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction, California, died Jan. 30, 2017 at 92.
After getting a flat tire in 1967 in Death Valley Junction, Becket noticed a rundown theater once used by the Pacific Borax Company. She refurbished the old building, which became the Amargosa Opera House.
During the next 50 years, writers for newspapers and magazines made the trip to the desert town outside the national park to record her story.
Filmmaker Todd Robinson’s “Amargosa” in 2000, a film about Becket’s life, was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category.
In 2006, she released an autobiography, “To Dance on Sands.”
Becket performed her last show Feb. 12, 2012 due to declining health.
Check the Pahrump Valley Times on Friday for a full article on the life and impact of Becket.