the woman who came up with a neon sign that has welcomed countless visitors to ` fabulous las vegas ' since 1959 has died . betty willis , credited with designing the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' sign , died in her overton , nevada , home on sunday , according to an obituary on the virgin valley & moapa valley mortuaries ' website . the 91-year-old artist 's often-copied sign sits in a median in the middle of las vegas boulevard south of the strip . thiago silva is gearing up to play barcelona in the champions league quarter-final this week and the paris saint-germain defender believes he will face an attack possessing the three best players in the world . the spanish league leaders can unleash a front three of lionel messi , luis suarez and neymar upon the french champions , who beat them at the parc des princes in the group stages of the competition earlier this year . and silva believes that the home leg of the quarter-final encounter will be pivotal for his side . betty willis in her las vegas home on december 30 , 2004 , with a replica of the sign she designed in 1959 to lure tourists . she died aged 91 . the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' neon sign , here outlined in pink lightbulbs in honor of breast cancer awareness month , became a major tourist attraction . ` it 's the most recognizable icon in the world , ' said danielle kelly , executive director of the neon museum in las vegas , where the signs of sin city 's past are retired and on display . the welcome sign 's design , which does n't have a copyright owner , has become a fixture on travel tchotchkes from vegas and everywhere else , kelly said . thiago silva wants psg to impose their style of play on barcelona when they meet in the champions league . silva says luis suarez -lrb- left -rrb- , neymar -lrb- centre -rrb- and lionel messi are the best three players in the world . silva -lrb- centre -rrb- prepared for the visit of barcelona by lifting the french league cup with psg on saturday . ` we know that the first leg at home will be very important , ' the brazil defender said . ` barca are very effective on the counterattack and have great strikers . she has a t-shirt from san francisco with that city 's name swapped in for las vegas in front of the sign 's recognizable shape , she said . ` the fact that everyone loves that sign and its design after all these years is a testament to betty 's talents , ' clark county commissioner steve sisolak said . by . daily mail reporter . published : . 13:59 est , 31 may 2013 . | . ` there is probably no bigger las vegas icon than that sign . ' in 2009 , the sign was added to the national register of historic places . kelly called willis ' designs dazzling and said her personality was akin to a strong , fast-talking female lead in movies like ` his girl friday . ' ` to me , messi , neymar and suarez are among the three best players in the world . ' silva singled out the threat of neymar , his international team-mate , while encouraging his side to impose their own game upon barcelona . updated : . 16:38 est , 31 may 2013 . katie couric revealed this week that she once went on first dates with . ` he 's unpredictable , we can not know what he will do and do n't know where he 's going with his dribbles , ' silva said of the barcelona attacker . silva warned psg about the unpredictability of his brazil international team-mate neymar . ` although we face a great rival in barca , we will try to play our game and keep the ball . with our individual quality we will try to suprise them . ' psg warmed up for the visit of barcelona by winning the french league cup on saturday with a 4-0 win against bastia , zlatan ibrahimovic and edinson cavani both scoring twice . ' a little salty , a little irreverent , ' kelly said with fondness . ' i thought she was a classic broad . ' willis , born in 1923 in the small town of overton northeast of las vegas , worked as a commercial artist in los angeles before returning to las vegas , where she worked for sign companies and designed the famous diamond-shaped beacon of flashing lights . the sign has become such a popular photo backdrop that a parking lot for cars and tour buses in the middle of the street was expanded in 2012 . willis also designed neon signs for the moulin rouge casino and blue angel motel in las vegas . the iconic neon sign has welcomed tourists to las vegas since 1959 . willis also designed neon signs for the moulin rouge casino and blue angel motel . wedding photographer sergio lopez , left , take pictures of newly-weds joseph buangan and his wife joyce , with the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' neon sign in the background . full house star bob saget and survivor host jeff probst - but neither . ever called her again . now the guys have given their take on their experience with the tv journalist and talk show host , now 56 . in an endearing email to us weekly , probst revealed a mutual friend first tried to set them up in 2001 , but ` the timing never worked out ' . it was n't meant to be : katie couric and jeff probst have both given their take on their first - and only - date . the 51-year-old continued : ' a few years later the same friend connected us again and this time the date was set . the next time i was in new york we would have dinner . ' not interested : she also went to dinner once with bob saget . ` what i remember most about the date is how nervous i was and how little i offered to the conversation , ' probst recalled . ` it was like i forgot how to go on a date . like i was 14 . we talked a bit about her kids and the challenges of being a parent to teenagers , and we talked a bit about our careers and lifestyles but we never got much beyond the surface . '' he insists he ` would have definitely asked for a second date ' and added that ` it was n't lack of interest ' on his part . ` the only reason i did n't call back was the date was set up through her assistant and i never got her number . it felt weird to call her assistant for a second date , ' he said . ` so it never had a chance to be a romance . who knows what might have been ? but it 's a date i definitely remember ! i mean , come on , it 's katie couric ! ' probst , who is currently shooting survivor : blood vs. water , went on to marry to lisa ann russell , 41 , in 2011 . full house star saget , 57 , also chimed in on his first and only date with couric . ' i did a benefit with katie couric in new york and i went to dinner with her , ' he told us weekly on thursday . ` she 's a lovely person and we had a good time . i 've seen her many times since . ' he revealed that couric ` gave me a hard time ' about his lack of interest . happy with her new guy : katie took banker john molner to a charity event hosted by bette midler in new york on thursday . ` she told it on a talk show and i think she told it again , ' saget said . ' i think she 's out of material . ' couric , who has two caroline , 17 , and . ellie , 21 , with her late husband jay monahan , is now in year-long . romance with nyc financier john molner . she spoke about her one-time dates with the hollywood stars in an interview with howard stern on his siriusxm radio show on wednesday . ' i ca n't say that i was devastated that neither called me back , ' she said . ' i thought they were both nice . guys ... i do n't think there was real magic there with either -lsb- of them -rsb- , . but i enjoyed spending time with them . '
artist betty willis designed the famous neon sign in 1959 . the sign sits in a median in the middle of las vegas boulevard south of the strip and is a popular tourist attraction . in 2009 it was placed on the national register of historic places . no one owns the copyright to the sign , so it is often imitated and appears on all kinds of souvenirs in las vegas and elsewhere .
the woman who came up with a neon sign that has welcomed countless visitors to ` fabulous las vegas ' since 1959 has died . betty willis , credited with designing the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' sign , died in her overton , nevada , home on sunday , according to an obituary on the virgin valley & moapa valley mortuaries ' website . the 91-year-old artist 's often-copied sign sits in a median in the middle of las vegas boulevard south of the strip . thiago silva is gearing up to play barcelona in the champions league quarter-final this week and the paris saint-germain defender believes he will face an attack possessing the three best players in the world . the spanish league leaders can unleash a front three of lionel messi , luis suarez and neymar upon the french champions , who beat them at the parc des princes in the group stages of the competition earlier this year . and silva believes that the home leg of the quarter-final encounter will be pivotal for his side . betty willis in her las vegas home on december 30 , 2004 , with a replica of the sign she designed in 1959 to lure tourists . she died aged 91 . the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' neon sign , here outlined in pink lightbulbs in honor of breast cancer awareness month , became a major tourist attraction . ` it 's the most recognizable icon in the world , ' said danielle kelly , executive director of the neon museum in las vegas , where the signs of sin city 's past are retired and on display . the welcome sign 's design , which does n't have a copyright owner , has become a fixture on travel tchotchkes from vegas and everywhere else , kelly said . thiago silva wants psg to impose their style of play on barcelona when they meet in the champions league . silva says luis suarez -lrb- left -rrb- , neymar -lrb- centre -rrb- and lionel messi are the best three players in the world . silva -lrb- centre -rrb- prepared for the visit of barcelona by lifting the french league cup with psg on saturday . ` we know that the first leg at home will be very important , ' the brazil defender said . ` barca are very effective on the counterattack and have great strikers . she has a t-shirt from san francisco with that city 's name swapped in for las vegas in front of the sign 's recognizable shape , she said . ` the fact that everyone loves that sign and its design after all these years is a testament to betty 's talents , ' clark county commissioner steve sisolak said . by . daily mail reporter . published : . 13:59 est , 31 may 2013 . | . ` there is probably no bigger las vegas icon than that sign . ' in 2009 , the sign was added to the national register of historic places . kelly called willis ' designs dazzling and said her personality was akin to a strong , fast-talking female lead in movies like ` his girl friday . ' ` to me , messi , neymar and suarez are among the three best players in the world . ' silva singled out the threat of neymar , his international team-mate , while encouraging his side to impose their own game upon barcelona . updated : . 16:38 est , 31 may 2013 . katie couric revealed this week that she once went on first dates with . ` he 's unpredictable , we can not know what he will do and do n't know where he 's going with his dribbles , ' silva said of the barcelona attacker . silva warned psg about the unpredictability of his brazil international team-mate neymar . ` although we face a great rival in barca , we will try to play our game and keep the ball . with our individual quality we will try to suprise them . ' psg warmed up for the visit of barcelona by winning the french league cup on saturday with a 4-0 win against bastia , zlatan ibrahimovic and edinson cavani both scoring twice . ' a little salty , a little irreverent , ' kelly said with fondness . ' i thought she was a classic broad . ' willis , born in 1923 in the small town of overton northeast of las vegas , worked as a commercial artist in los angeles before returning to las vegas , where she worked for sign companies and designed the famous diamond-shaped beacon of flashing lights . the sign has become such a popular photo backdrop that a parking lot for cars and tour buses in the middle of the street was expanded in 2012 . willis also designed neon signs for the moulin rouge casino and blue angel motel in las vegas . the iconic neon sign has welcomed tourists to las vegas since 1959 . willis also designed neon signs for the moulin rouge casino and blue angel motel . wedding photographer sergio lopez , left , take pictures of newly-weds joseph buangan and his wife joyce , with the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' neon sign in the background . full house star bob saget and survivor host jeff probst - but neither . ever called her again . now the guys have given their take on their experience with the tv journalist and talk show host , now 56 . in an endearing email to us weekly , probst revealed a mutual friend first tried to set them up in 2001 , but ` the timing never worked out ' . it was n't meant to be : katie couric and jeff probst have both given their take on their first - and only - date . the 51-year-old continued : ' a few years later the same friend connected us again and this time the
the woman who came up with a neon sign that has welcomed countless visitors to ` fabulous las vegas ' since 1959 has died . betty willis , credited with designing the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' sign , died in her overton , nevada , home on sunday , according to an obituary on the virgin valley & moapa valley mortuaries ' website . the 91-year-old artist 's often-copied sign sits in a median in the middle of las vegas boulevard south of the strip . thiago silva is gearing up to play barcelona in the champions league quarter-final this week and the paris saint-germain defender believes he will face an attack possessing the three best players in the world . the spanish league leaders can unleash a front three of lionel messi , luis suarez and neymar upon the french champions , who beat them at the parc des princes in the group stages of the competition earlier this year . and silva believes that the home leg of the quarter-final encounter will be pivotal for his side . betty willis in her las vegas home on december 30 , 2004 , with a replica of the sign she designed in 1959 to lure tourists . she died aged 91 . the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' neon sign , here outlined in pink lightbulbs in honor of breast cancer awareness month , became a major tourist attraction . ` it 's the most recognizable icon in the world , ' said danielle kelly , executive director of the neon museum in las vegas , where the signs of sin city 's past are retired and on display . the welcome sign 's design , which does n't have a copyright owner , has become a fixture on travel tchotchkes from vegas and everywhere else , kelly said . thiago silva wants psg to impose their style of play on barcelona when they meet in the champions league . silva says luis suarez -lrb- left -rrb- , neymar -lrb- centre -rrb- and lionel messi are the best three players in the world . silva -lrb- centre -rrb- prepared for the visit of barcelona by lifting the french league cup with psg on saturday . ` we know that the first leg at home will be very important , ' the brazil defender said . ` barca are very effective on the counterattack and have great strikers . she has a t-shirt from san francisco with that city 's name swapped in for las vegas in front of the sign 's recognizable shape , she said . ` the fact that everyone loves that sign and its design after all these years is a testament to betty 's talents , ' clark county commissioner steve sisolak said . by . daily mail reporter . published : . 13:59 est , 31 may 2013 . | . ` there is probably no bigger las vegas icon than that sign . ' in 2009 , the sign was added to the national register of historic places . kelly called willis ' designs dazzling and said her personality was akin to a strong , fast-talking female lead in movies like ` his girl friday . ' ` to me , messi , neymar and suarez are among the three best players in the world . ' silva singled out the threat of neymar , his international team-mate , while encouraging his side to impose their own game upon barcelona . updated : . 16:38 est , 31 may 2013 . katie couric revealed this week that she once went on first dates with . ` he 's unpredictable , we can not know what he will do and do n't know where he 's going with his dribbles , ' silva said of the barcelona attacker . silva warned psg about the unpredictability of his brazil international team-mate neymar . ` although we face a great rival in barca , we will try to play our game and keep the ball . with our individual quality we will try to suprise them . ' psg warmed up for the visit of barcelona by winning the french league cup on saturday with a 4-0 win against bastia , zlatan ibrahimovic and edinson cavani both scoring twice . ' a little salty , a little irreverent , ' kelly said with fondness . ' i thought she was a classic broad . ' willis , born in 1923 in the small town of overton northeast of las vegas in on his first and only date with couric . ' i did a benefit with katie couric in new york and i went to dinner with her , ' he told us weekly on thursday . ` she 's a lovely person and we had a good time . i 've seen her many times since . ' he revealed that couric ` gave me a hard time ' about his lack of interest . happy with her new guy : katie took banker john molner to a charity event hosted by bette midler in new york on thursday . ` she told it on a talk show and i think she told it again , ' saget said . ' i think she 's out of material . ' couric , who has two caroline , 17 , and . ellie , 21 , with her late husband jay monahan , is now in year-long . romance with nyc financier john molner . she spoke about her one-time dates with the hollywood stars in an interview with howard stern on his siriusxm radio show on wednesday . ' i ca n't say that i was devastated that neither called me back , ' she said . ' i thought they were both nice . guys ... i do n't think there was real magic there with either -lsb- of them -rsb- , . but i enjoyed spending time with them . '
the woman came a neon sign has welcomed countless visitors ` fabulous las vegas since 1959 has. betty willis, credited designing the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' sign died her overton, nevada home on sunday according the virgin valley & moapa valley mortuaries ' website the 91-year-old artist 's often-copied sign sits a median in las vegas boulevard south the strip. thiago silva is gearing barcelona the champions league quarter this the paris saint-germain defender face an attack possessing. the spanish league leaders can unleash front lionel messi, luis suarez neymar upon the french champions beat the parc des princes earlier and silva believes the home leg the quarter-final encounter pivotal. betty willis in her las vegas home december, 2004, with a replica designed 1959 lure. she died aged 91. the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' neon sign, here outlined pink lightbulbs in honor breast cancer awareness month became. ` it the most recognizable icon, said danielle kelly executive director the neon museum las vegas where the signs sin city 's past retired on the welcome sign 's design, does n't a copyright owner become a fixture travel tchotchkes from vegas everywhere, kelly said thiago silva wants psg impose their style barcelona when meet the champions league. silva says luis suarez -lrb- left, neymar -lrb- centre and lionel messi are the best three players. silva -lrb- centre prepared the visit barcelona by lifting the french league cup with psg on. ` we know the first leg at home, ' the brazil defender ` barca are very effective on the counterattack great strikers. she has from san francisco that city 's name swapped las vegas front the sign 's recognizable shape, said ` the fact everyone loves that sign its design after betty 's talents, clark county commissioner steve sisolak. by. daily mail reporter. published :. 13:59 est, 31 may 2013. |. ` there probably no bigger las vegas icon that sign. ' in 2009, the sign added the national register historic places kelly called willis ' designs dazzling said her personality akin a strong, fast-talking female lead movies ` his girl friday. ' ` to me, messi neymar and suarez among ' silva singled the threat neymar, his international team, while encouraging impose upon barcelona updated :. 16:38 est, 31 may. katie couric revealed this once went first dates. ` he unpredictable, we not know and do n't where with his dribbles ' silva said of the barcelona attacker silva warned psg about the unpredictability his brazil international team-mate neymar. ` although face a great rival barca try play. with our individual quality we try suprise them. ' psg warmed for the visit barcelona by winning the french league cup on saturday with bastia, zlatan ibrahimovic edinson cavani both twice. ' a little salty, a irreverent kelly said with fondness ' i thought she classic broad. ' willis, born 1923 overton northeast las vegas worked a commercial artist returning sign companies designed the famous diamond-shaped beacon flashing the sign has become such a popular photo backdrop a parking lot for cars tour buses expanded. willis also designed neon signs the moulin rouge casino blue angel motel las vegas. the iconic neon sign has welcomed tourists las vegas since 1959. willis also designed neon signs the moulin rouge casino blue angel motel. wedding photographer sergio lopez, left, take newly-weds joseph buangan his wife joyce with the ` welcome fabulous las vegas ' neon sign full house star bob saget and survivor host jeff probst - but neither. ever called again. now the guys given their take their experience the tv journalist, now 56. in an endearing email us weekly, probst revealed a mutual friend first tried set them 2001 ` the timing never ' it n't meant : katie couric and jeff probst have both given their take their first - and only - date. the 51 continued : ' a few the same friend connected again this the date set. the next i was we dinner. ' not interested : she also went dinner once bob saget. ` what i remember the date nervous little offered the conversation, ' probst recalled. ` it like i forgot go. like i 14. we talked her kids to teenagers, our careers lifestyles but never much beyond the surface. '' he insists he ` would definitely asked a second date ' added ` n't lack '. ` the only reason i did n't call back was the date was set through her assistant never. it felt weird call her assistant for, ' he ` so never had a romance. who knows might? but 's a date i definitely remember!, come katie couric! ' probst, who currently shooting survivor : blood vs. water, went marry to lisa ann russell 41 2011 full house star saget, 57, also chimed his first and only date couric. ' i did a benefit with katie couric in new york went dinner, ' he us weekly on ` she 's a lovely person we had. i 've her many since. ' he revealed couric ` gave about his lack. happy with her new guy : katie took banker john molner a charity event hosted bette midler. ` she told it on and i told again, ' saget said. ' i think she 's out material. ' couric, who two caroline, 17. ellie, 21 with jay monahan is now year-. romance nyc financier john molner. she spoke her one-time dates the hollywood stars howard stern on his siriusxm radio show wednesday. ' i ca n't say devastated neither called, she ' i thought both nice. guys... i do n't real magic with either -lsb- of them,. but i enjoyed spending time. '
the woman who came up with a neon sign that has welcomed countless visitors to ` fabulous las vegas ' since 1959 has died . betty willis , credited with designing the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' sign , died in her overton , nevada , home on sunday , according to an obituary on the virgin valley & moapa valley mortuaries ' website . the 91-year-old artist 's often-copied sign sits in a median in the middle of las vegas boulevard south of the strip . thiago silva is gearing up to play barcelona in the champions league quarter-final this week and the paris saint-germain defender believes he will face an attack possessing the three best players in the world . the spanish league leaders can unleash a front three of lionel messi , luis suarez and neymar upon the french champions , who beat them at the parc des princes in the group stages of the competition earlier this year . and silva believes that the home leg of the quarter-final encounter will be pivotal for his side . betty willis in her las vegas home on december 30 , 2004 , with a replica of the sign she designed in 1959 to lure tourists . she died aged 91 . the ` welcome to fabulous las vegas ' neon sign , here outlined in pink lightbulbs in honor of breast cancer awareness month , became a major tourist attraction . ` it 's the most recognizable icon in the world , ' said danielle kelly , executive director of the neon museum in las vegas , where the signs of sin city 's past are retired and on display . the welcome sign 's design , which does n't have a copyright owner , has become a fixture on travel tchotchkes from vegas and everywhere else , kelly said . thiago silva wants psg to impose their style of play on barcelona when they meet in the champions league . silva says luis suarez -lrb- left -rrb- , neymar -lrb- centre -rrb- and lionel messi are the best three players in the world . silva -lrb- centre -rrb- prepared for the visit of barcelona by lifting the french league cup with psg on saturday . ` we know that the first leg at home will be very important , ' the brazil defender said . ` barca are very effective on the counterattack and have great strikers . she has a t-shirt from san francisco with that city 's name swapped in for las vegas in front of the sign 's recognizable shape , she said . ` the fact that everyone loves that sign and its design after all these years is a testament to betty 's talents , ' clark county commissioner steve sisolak said . by . daily mail reporter . published : . 13:59 est , 31 may 2013 . | . ` there is probably no bigger las vegas icon than that sign . ' in 2009 , the sign was added to the national register of historic places . kelly called willis ' designs dazzling and said her personality was akin to a strong , fast-talking female lead in movies like ` his girl friday . ' ` to me , messi , neymar and suarez are among the three best players in the world . ' silva singled out the threat of neymar , his international team-mate , while encouraging his side to impose their own game upon barcelona . updated : . 16:38 est , 31 may 2013 . katie couric revealed this week that she once went on first dates with . ` he 's unpredictable , we can not know what he will do and do n't know where he 's going with his dribbles , ' silva said of the barcelona attacker . silva warned psg about the unpredictability of his brazil international team-mate neymar . ` although we face a great rival in barca , we will try to play our game and keep the ball . with our individual quality we will try to suprise them . ' psg warmed up for the visit of barcelona by winning the french league cup on saturday with a 4-0 win against bastia , zlatan ibrahimovic and edinson cavani both scoring twice . ' a little salty , a little irreverent , ' kelly said with fondness . ' i thought she was a classic broad . ' willis , born in 1923 in the small town of overton northeast of las vegas
 Betty Willis, the designer of the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, has passed away at the age of 91. The iconic sign was designed in 1959 and has become a symbol of Las Vegas. Willis's design was meant to lure tourists to the city, and it has been replicated and parodied countless times. She also designed other notable signs in Las Vegas, including the Silver Slipper and the Blue Angel. Willis's legacy will live on through her iconic designs, which have become an integral part of Las Vegas' identity.