Roy Horn death: Magician of famous duo Siegfried and Roy dies aged 75 from coronavirus

‘Roy was a fighter his whole life including during these final days,’ his partner Siegfried Fischbacher said

Roy Horn, of the magic duo Siegfried & Roy, has died from coronavirus complications aged 75.

According to a statement released by his publicist, Dave Kirvin, Horn died on Friday 8 May in a Las Vegas hospital.

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

He continued: “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 and Fischbacher, both born in Germany, met on a cruise ship in 1957. For their early collaborations, Fischbacher performed the magic tricks and Horn was his assistant, but was the one of eventually suggested the idea of using his pet cheetah in the act. They made their Las Vegas debut a decade later.

Siegfried & Roy began performing at the Mirage in 1990; it was estimated that, having performed 5,000 shows for 10 million fans since that first show, they had grossed more than $1bn.

The duo’s long-running production at the Mirage hotel casino was brought to an abrupt end in 2003, when Horn was attacked onstage by one of the duo’s famous white tigers, Montecore.

Horn suffered severe neck injuries, blood loss, and later had a stroke and had to undergo lengthy rehabilitation.

They returned to the stage in February 2009 for what was billed as their one and only comeback performance. The brief show , which included Montecore, became the basis of an episode of the ABC television show 20/20.

During the course of their careers, the duo gained international recognition for helping to save rare white tigers and lions from extinction.

Over the years, their sprawling compound was home to dozens of rare and endangered animals, including the white tigers and lions, which were part of a preservation programme launched in the Eighties.

Horn said he was heartbroken when one of the cubs was donated to a zoo.

“When you love something, the hardest thing is to let it go,” he said. “But this is what Siegfried and Roy do. We live our dreams, and we fulfil our destiny.”

Penn Tillett of the magic duo Penn & Teller tweeted: “We are all mourning the loss of #RoyHorn of #SiegfriedandRoy. S&R invented, created, pioneered the very idea that a magic show could be a full evening in Vegas. If not for S&R there would be no P&T in Vegas. He was so full of life, wild, and unpredictable. We will miss him.”

Additional reporting by Associated Press