Amy Arnaz is remembered in entertainment circles as the wife of Desi Arnaz Jr. — the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr. — but in the small Nevada community she called home for decades, she was known simply as “Miss Amy,” a beloved dance teacher who helped build a local ballet company and theater from the ground up.
Quick Bio of Amy Arnaz
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Amy Laura Bargiel Arnaz |
| Known For | Wife of Desi Arnaz Jr.; dance teacher known locally as “Miss Amy” |
| Born | 1951 |
| Raised | Las Vegas, Nevada; attended Valley High School |
| Husband | Desi Arnaz Jr. (married 1987) |
| Daughter | Haley Arnaz (adopted by Desi Arnaz Jr.) |
| Known Work | Co-founder, Dance Etc. and the Boulder City Ballet Company; co-owner of the historic Boulder Theatre |
| Died | January 2015, age 63, after a two-year battle with cancer |
| Siblings | Sister Lisa Bargiel, brother Tom Bargiel |
Who Was Amy Arnaz?
Amy Arnaz, born Amy Laura Bargiel, spent most of her adult life in Boulder City, Nevada, where she became a well-known figure through her decades of work teaching dance. She married Desi Arnaz Jr. — son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr., stars of I Love Lucy — in 1987, and the two ran a dance studio and later a historic theater together. While her marriage connected her to one of American television’s most famous families, Amy built her own, independently documented local legacy as a teacher and community figure, affectionately remembered by generations of students as “Miss Amy.”
Her Early Life in Las Vegas
Amy grew up in Las Vegas, where she was a cheerleader at Valley High School; her sister later recalled that she won a smiling contest in high school and was known for her warmth. She moved to Boulder City, Nevada, in the late 1970s, where she would spend the rest of her life.
Meeting and Marrying Desi Arnaz Jr.
Desi Arnaz Jr. — who first visited Boulder City in 1978 for a class led by spiritual teacher Vernon Howard, crediting the experience with helping him get sober — settled in the town and met Amy there. In a 2002 Associated Press interview, he described being drawn to her dance studio and her down-to-earth nature. The two married in 1987 and went on to spend the rest of Amy’s life together in Boulder City, running their dance and theater work as a shared project rather than Amy simply being a public figure’s spouse.
Building the Boulder City Ballet Company
Amy co-founded and ran Dance Etc. and the Boulder City Ballet Company, teaching dance to thousands of local children over roughly three decades. One Boulder City councilman’s daughter took classes from her for nearly 20 years, and former students and parents remembered her as warm and affectionate — with one local official saying she “lit up the room with love.” She was closely associated with annual productions of The Nutcracker, in which her daughter Haley later performed featured roles.
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The Boulder Theatre
Amy and Desi purchased Boulder City’s historic Boulder Theatre and spent years restoring it, including new plumbing, wiring, carpeting, and seating, according to the 2002 AP interview — which places the purchase in 1999, a somewhat later date than the 1997 figure that circulates on some biography sites. The restored theater became a performance home for the Boulder City Ballet Company and a venue where Desi’s band also performed, with Desi himself handling lighting and sound at his wife’s dance recitals.
Her Daughter, Haley
Amy had a daughter, Haley, from an earlier relationship prior to her marriage to Desi Arnaz Jr. Desi later legally adopted Haley, making her his daughter and, through that adoption, a granddaughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr. Haley went on to study dance under her mother’s guidance, performing with the Boulder City Ballet Company, including roles in The Nutcracker.
Her Death in 2015
Amy Arnaz died in January 2015 at age 63, following a two-year battle with cancer — her death coming just four days after her husband’s 62nd birthday. Her local obituary, published by the Boulder City Review, identified her survivors as her husband, Desi; her daughter, Haley; her sister, Lisa Bargiel; and her brother, Tom Bargiel. The family held private services. Tributes from former students and local officials emphasized the lasting impact of her decades teaching dance in the community, independent of her connection to a famous entertainment family.
Final Thoughts
Amy Arnaz’s public story is often told as a footnote to her husband’s famous family, but the stronger, better-documented part of her legacy is entirely her own: nearly three decades spent teaching dance to the children of a small Nevada town, co-building a ballet company and restoring a historic theater from the ground up, and being remembered by that community not primarily as a celebrity’s wife, but as “Miss Amy.”
FAQs About Amy Arnaz
Who was Amy Arnaz?
She was the wife of Desi Arnaz Jr., son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr., and a dance teacher known locally in Boulder City, Nevada, as “Miss Amy.”
When did Amy Arnaz marry Desi Arnaz Jr.?
In 1987, after the two met in Boulder City, Nevada.
What was Amy Arnaz known for in Boulder City?
She co-founded Dance Etc. and the Boulder City Ballet Company, teaching dance to thousands of local children over nearly three decades, and co-owned the historic Boulder Theatre with her husband.
Did Amy Arnaz have children?
Yes, a daughter, Haley, from an earlier relationship, whom Desi Arnaz Jr. later legally adopted.
How did Amy Arnaz die?
She died in January 2015 at age 63, after a two-year battle with cancer.
Was Amy Arnaz related to Lucille Ball?
Only by marriage — she was Desi Arnaz Jr.’s wife, making her part of the extended Arnaz family, though not a blood relative of Lucille Ball or Desi Arnaz Sr.
