Legendary Vegas star Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy dies aged 75 following COVID-19 battle leaving his devastated partner Siegfried to say, 'I have lost my best friend'
Legendary magician Roy Horn has died from coronavirus aged 75.
Horn, one half of the longtime Las Vegas illusionist duo Siegfried & Roy, had tested positive for coronavirus more than a week ago and died Friday at Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas due to complications from the virus.
Siegfried Fischbacher, his longtime performance and domestic partner, said in a statement: 'Today, the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend.
'From the moment we met, I knew Roy and I, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried.
Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy, has died after testing positive for COVID-19. He is pictured above performing with a white tiger during the duo's 15,000th live show in 1996
Roy is seen in a wheelchair in 2018 with Siegfried at his side attending the unveiling of a plaque in their honor at the Cleveland Clinic for Brain Health in Las Vegas
'Roy was a fighter his whole life including during these final days. I give my heartfelt appreciation to the team of doctors, nurses and staff at Mountain View Hospital who worked heroically against this insidious virus that ultimately took Roy's life.'
Horn was left partially paralyzed and using a wheelchair after being attacked by a 400-pound white Bengal tiger named Montecore during a Siegfried & Roy performance at The Mirage hotel-casino in Las Vegas in 2003.
He had severe neck injuries, lost a lot of blood and later suffered a stroke. Horn underwent lengthy rehabilitation, but the attack ended the long-running Las Vegas Strip production.
Siegfried, left, and Roy, right, are pictured in 2002 with Montecore, a 400-pound white Bengal tiger who later attacked Horn in 2003
The showman was left partially paralyzed and with impaired speech following the incident in which he also suffered a stroke. He's seen at the hospital after the attack on October 4, 2003
The showmen - born in Germany as Siegfried Fischbacher and Uwe Ludwig Horn - met one another while working on a cruise ship in 1957.
Siegfried details his journey from Rosenheim, Germany to Las Vegas on his website.
He built his career from a $2 magic book, which caught his eye in 1947, before starting out performing tricks on the TS Bremen liner.
After meeting Roy, they formed their animal and magic act and started on boats before moving to the European nightclub circuit.
Once they incorporated tigers, promoter Tony Azzie asked them to come to Las Vegas in 1967. Horn was credited with the idea of introducing an exotic animal - his pet cheetah - to the magic act.
The illusionists became popular in the 1970s, receiving their first star billing in 1978 as headliners of the Stardust´s 'Lido de Paris.' Their show 'Beyond Belief' opened in 1981 at the Frontier and played to thousands over seven years, ultimately becoming the headlining act at the Mirage Resort and Casino in 1990.
The showmen - born in Germany as Siegfried Fischbacher and Uwe Ludwig Horn - met one another while working on a cruise ship in 1957. They are pictured above in 2003
After Siegfried met Roy (pictured performing in 1983), they formed their animal and magic act and started on boats before moving to the European nightclub circuit. Once they incorporated tigers, promoter Tony Azzie asked them to come to Las Vegas in 1967
The two became an institution in Las Vegas, where their magic and artistry consistently attracted sellout crowds. The pair performed six shows a week, 44 weeks per year.
When they signed a lifetime contract with the Mirage in 2001, it was estimated they had performed 5,000 shows at the casino for 10 million fans since 1990 and had grossed more than $1 billion. That comes on top of thousands of shows at other venues in earlier years.
'Throughout the history of Las Vegas, no artists have meant more to the development of Las Vegas´ global reputation as the entertainment capital of the world than Siegfried and Roy,' Terry Lanni, chairman of MGM Mirage, the casino´s parent company, said after the attack.
Lean on me: Roy clings to Siegfried above during what is believed to be the last time they were publicly pictured together in 2018
Siegfried & Roy's show, incorporating animal antics and magic tricks, included about 20 white tigers and lions, the number varying depending on the night. The show also had other exotic animals, including an elephant.
'Their show is so fast-paced the viewer has time only to gasp before the next dazzlement,' a reviewer wrote in 1989 when they brought their act to New York.
'A white car drives on stage - as Liberace used to do - bringing a mother white tiger and three cubs. Roy rides an elephant, which disappears, then reappears. At the end, a 650-pound white tiger climbs atop a globe. With Roy on his back, they´re pulled into the air.'
'It's a Las Vegas show and it's nonstop entertainment. New Yorkers aren't too sophisticated for this.'
A later spectacular developed for the Mirage opened with a flashy 'Star Wars' scenario and Horn and Fischbacher arriving in their own mini space capsules. Another segment had Horn sitting atop a 30-foot pyramid that was 'destroyed' by an explosion and fire, leaving him levitated high above the stage.
After Horn's 2003 attack, the duo consistently claimed the cat had latched onto Horn as a way to protect the entertainer, after he had suffered a stroke and toppled over.
Horn, who had turned 59 that day, had never been injured during a show before, 'not a scratch, not by an animal', Bernie Yuman, the pair's longtime manager, said at the time.
He said he thought Montecore got distracted by something in the audience and Horn was trying to calm him. Horn himself said later that he fainted and Montecore was trying to help him by dragging him offstage, though animal experts disputed that possibility.
Horn insisted the cat 'saved his life' by attempting to drag him to safety and begged for the cat not to be put down. The tiger later died of natural causes at age 17 in 2014.
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture explored a variety of theories but was unable to reach a conclusion on what caused the tiger to attack. In its final report, the USDA also said the show´s producers had failed to protect the audience because there was no barrier separating the exotic animals from the crowd.
Following the attack and after a run of 30,000 shows that were watched by up to 400,000 people each year, the showmen decided to retire from their Las Vegas production.
In October 2006 the duo attended their induction into the Las Vegas Walk of Stars. Horn's speech was sluggish at times and he walked a bit slow, but he called the event 'a deeply emotional experience'.
Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn pictured at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, in 2015
Masters of illusion: Siegfried and Roy performed their Las Vegas show more than 30,000 times
Throughout his recovery, Horn continued to make personal appearances and remained fond of fans.
The duo returned to the stage in February 2009 for what was billed as their one and only comeback performance, to raise funds for the new Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.
The brief performance, which included Montecore, became the basis of an episode of the ABC television show 20/20.
A year later Siegfried & Roy formally retired from showbusiness.
In 2019, the two appeared together as surprise guests at the Vegas's Keep Memory Alive's 23rd annual Power of Love gala.
The pair were said to be working on a biopic to be released in the form of a multi-part docuseries in 2021.
Before his death Horn was reportedly responding well in hospital.
The funeral service will be private, with an expected public memorial.
Siegfried and Roy, pictured in 1976 with Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor, were said to be working on a biopic which is slated to be released in the form of a multi-part docuseries in 2021
Horn was left with partial paralysis on the left side of his body and was confined to a wheelchair most of the time. The pair are pictures here in October 2002
Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn pictured in 2017 at a benefit for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada
Legendary Vegas star Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy dies aged 75 following COVID-19 battle leaving his devastated partner Siegfried to say, 'I have lost my best friend'
![Legendary Vegas star Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy dies aged 75 following COVID-19 battle leaving his devastated partner Siegfried to say, 'I have lost my best friend']()
Reviewed by Your Destination
on
May 09, 2020
Rating:
No comments