R.I.P. Roy Horn - Siegfried & Roy

[jjkrkwood]

Roy Horn of 'Siegfried and Roy' dies after contracting coronavirus

 

Another Casualty, So SAD !

 

Roy Horn, famed tiger handler and co-star of the magic duo known as Siegfried and Roy, died of complications from the coronavirus in a hospital in Las Vegas on Friday.

 

He was 75 years old.

 

“Today, the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend,” Siegfried Fischbacher said in a statement. “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.”

 

Together, Fischbacher and Horn were world-renowned magicians who used exotic cats as a signature part of their act. At the peak of their careers as entertainers, they performed at the Mirage in Las Vegas, which is home to Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.

 

During a live show in October 2003, a 400-pound white tiger mauled Horn and dragged him off-stage. Horn suffered brain damage and a crushed windpipe, though he survived with partial paralysis.

 

The famous duo had long claimed that Roy was actually suffering a stroke and the tiger, named Montecore, was trying to protect him during that incident. A tiger handler who worked with Montecore refuted their claim, telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 that Roy hadn’t spent enough time with the tiger before shows.

 

Horn tested positive for the coronavirus in late April.

 

“Roy was a fighter his whole life including during these final days,” Fischbacher said in a statement on Friday night. “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.”

[caliguy]

The end of an era for sure. They spent their lives hiding their relationship and sexuality right out in the open. Of coarse most everyone already knew. Now a days that would be almost impossible to do.

[rvwnsd]

He was a lifelong animal lover who was able to transform his passion into a career. Even after the tragic mauling incident (where he suffered from a stroke) he always had a smile on his face.

 

Very sad news.

[caliguy]

He was a lifelong animal lover who was able to transform his passion into a career. Even after the tragic mauling incident (where he suffered from a stroke) he always had a smile on his face.

 

Very sad news.

The original Tiger Kings. Except there was a real love for the animals.

[samhexum]

Siegfried Fischbacher, one-half of the flamboyant big cat illusionist act Siegfried and Roy, died Wednesday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 81.

 

Fischbacher was reportedly terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and recently underwent an operation to remove a tumor, according to the German publication Bild.

 

He was released from the hospital earlier this month and was being cared for at home by two hospice workers, the outlet reported.

 

The legendary magician’s death comes less than a year after the passing of his longtime stage partner Roy Horn due to complications from COVID-19.

 

The German-American duo met on a cruise ship, where they bonded over Horn’s pet cheetah, Chico, which he had smuggled on board.

 

The duo’s act — which blended tiger-taming with David Copperfield-esque magic and a gaudy dose of Liberace glitz — launched in Sin City circa 1967. But it was their $30-million, 14-year-run at the Mirage theater, beginning in 1989, that propelled them into global stardom amid the height of the era of excess.

 

In 2003, Horn suffered a gory career-ending injury when Mantacore, a 400-pound Siberian tiger, sunk its teeth into his neck during a live performance — on his 59th birthday, no less — at the Mirage hotel-casino.

 

In a 2019 interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the performers said they had made peace with the infamous mauling incident that killed their careers.

 

“I really don’t miss it,” Fischbacher said at the time. “We have been on stage in Vegas just by themselves for 40 years on stage, you know? And we had the most successful show in the history of Las Vegas anyway.”

[BSR]

Siegfried Fischbacher, one-half of the flamboyant big cat illusionist act Siegfried and Roy, died Wednesday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 81.

 

Fischbacher was reportedly terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and recently underwent an operation to remove a tumor, according to the German publication Bild.

 

He was released from the hospital earlier this month and was being cared for at home by two hospice workers, the outlet reported.

 

The legendary magician’s death comes less than a year after the passing of his longtime stage partner Roy Horn due to complications from COVID-19.

 

The German-American duo met on a cruise ship, where they bonded over Horn’s pet cheetah, Chico, which he had smuggled on board.

 

The duo’s act — which blended tiger-taming with David Copperfield-esque magic and a gaudy dose of Liberace glitz — launched in Sin City circa 1967. But it was their $30-million, 14-year-run at the Mirage theater, beginning in 1989, that propelled them into global stardom amid the height of the era of excess.

 

In 2003, Horn suffered a gory career-ending injury when Mantacore, a 400-pound Siberian tiger, sunk its teeth into his neck during a live performance — on his 59th birthday, no less — at the Mirage hotel-casino.

 

In a 2019 interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the performers said they had made peace with the infamous mauling incident that killed their careers.

 

“I really don’t miss it,” Fischbacher said at the time. “We have been on stage in Vegas just by themselves for 40 years on stage, you know? And we had the most successful show in the history of Las Vegas anyway.”

Wow, I would think it'd be difficult to stow away a domestic housecat onto a cruise ship. How on earth did he sneak in a cheetah??

 

I believe Siegfried & Roy's show was the first $100 ticket in Las Vegas. It was a breathtaking sum in a city where shows were once all comped or at most charged a nominal sum, just to keep the gamblers happy.

 

Las Vegas recently lost three giants who each in their own way transformed the city: Sheldon Adelson, the convention king (he started Comdex, once the world's biggest trade show) and later casino king; Tony Hsieh, Zappo CEO who transformed Downtown (especially east Fremont); and Siegfried & Roy.