Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn, known to the world as one-half of famous Las Vegas illusionist duo Siegfried & Roy, died Friday at the age of 75, due to complications from the coronavirus, in a Las Vegas hospital. “Today, the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend,†his long-time collaborator 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. 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.â€
After meeting on a cruise ship, Horn, then a cheetah-owning ship’s steward, and Fischbacher the cruise’s magician, the pair began their rise to Vegas fame in 1967, eventually landing a fourteen year-run at the Mirage in 1989, their show a wildly popular mix of music, magic, and exotic-animal stunts that made them stars. On October 3, 2003, Horn was grabbed during a show and dragged off the stage by one of the show’s big cats, a white tiger named Mantacore, an attack Horn steadfastly alleged was a response to his having a stroke, though handler Chris Lawrence later publicly disputed the claim. Though the show subsequently closed, Horn survived his injuries, and devoted the rest of his life to philanthropic endeavors.