LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The first female magician to perform in Las Vegas, Gloria Dea, passed away on Saturday morning.
In addition to magic, she was an actress and dancer who starred as the comic book heroine Pha in Columbia's King of the Kongo in 1952. Her first performance as a magician debuted at the El Rancho Resort in 1941.
She recently was awarded the key to the Las Vegas Strip on her 100th birthday in August 2022.
Dea will be honored at UNLV on Tuesday with an Honorary Fine Arts Degree for her contributions to Las Vegas.
Other iconic Las Vegas magicians, such as David Copperfield and Lance Burton, have been paying their respects on social media and paying tribute to her legacy.
