Fite died in 1976, in the 37th year of his creation. He died working on it, in a fall. He left some unfinished areas—but, as his stepson, the writer Jonathan Richards, has observed, “Opus 40 is as complete as it ever would have been. It was the product of Fite’s ceaseless vision, and could only have been stopped by his death.” The following year, his widow, Barbara Fite, who had been a close aesthetic collaborator with him throughout his labors, created a nonprofit group to administer "Opus 40", and opened it to the public. Barbara Fite died in 1986, and her family continues to administer the organization. "Opus 40" remains a popular tourist attraction, as well as a wedding and concert venue. In 2001 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.