Roy Horn, the dark-haired half of Siegfried & Roy, the flamboyant, German-born illusionists whose lavish stage productions and trademark disappearing white tigers and lions made them one of the biggest draws on the Las Vegas Strip, died Friday. He was 75.
Horn, who suffered a severe wound to his neck when a seven-year-old white tiger named Mantecore attacked him during a show at the Las Vegas Mirage in October 2003 during a sold-out performance at the Mirage Hotel & Casino, died of complications from deadly COVID-19, Siegfried & Roy announced 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 me, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried. From the moment we met, I knew Roy and me, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried. 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.”
This statement was released by Roy’s partner Siegfried Fischbacher. The couple has rarely talked about their relationship or about their sexuality publicly. Siegfried moved to Italy in 1956 and began working at a hotel. He eventually found work performing magic on the ship the TS Bremen under the stage name Delmare. Seidfried and Roy met while Siegfried was performing aboard the ship, and asked Roy to assist him during a show.
In February 2009, the duo staged a final appearance with Mantecore as a benefit for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute (although Chris Lawrence, the animal handler who interceded in the Mantecore incident, has stated that this performance involved a different tiger). Their performance was recorded for broadcast on ABC television’s 20/20 program.
On April 23, 2010, Siegfried & Roy retired from show business. “The last time we closed, we didn’t have a lot of warning,” said longtime manager Bernie Yuman. “This is farewell. This is the dot at the end of the sentence.” Mantecore died on March 19, 2014, after a brief illness. He was 17 years old.
In June 2016, it was announced that Siegfried & Roy would be producing a biopic film, documenting their lives.
In late April 2020, Roy revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was reportedly “responding well to treatment”. Though, his condition deteriorated and he died today at the Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas.
He was 75, and the duo’s spokesperson – who first announced the news of his death – confirmed that it was due to complications from the disease.
