Roy Horn, the iconic magician best known for being part of the duo Siegfried & Roy has passed away from complications related to Covid-19.
He was 75 years old.
The animal trainer, who performed in Las Vegas for decades with Siegfried Fischbacher, had tested positive for the disease last month.
It was Siegfried himself who confirmed the tragic passing.
“Today, the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend,” said Siegfried 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.”
Continued 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.”
Horn and Fischbacher have best known for years for their Las Vegas show at the Mirage Resort and Casino.
It ran from 1990 until 2003, when Horn was attacked on stage by one of the white tigers used in the pair’s popular act.
The aforementioned mauling left Horn partially paralyzed and barely able to speak.
Horn started spending time with exotic animals when he was 10 years old, back when a family friend gave him access to the Bremen Zoo.
He met Siegfried onboard a cruise ship… and the tandem began a nightclub act into which they snuck a tiger.
After being discovered by Tony Azzie in 1967, they were asked to perform in Las Vegas. The rest, as they say, is history.
Siegfried and Roy stopped performing as an act after the tiger attack.
And, yet, Horn never blamed the tiger for what happened.
He even said that he suffered a stroke on stage and the animal actually helped save his life by dragging him off stage shortly afterward.
“He instinctively saw that I needed help, and he helped me,” Roy previously told People Magazine.
The tiger was named Mantecore and he died at the age of 17 in 2014.
“Mantecore is a great cat. Make sure no harm comes to Mantecore,” Roy was heard saying when he was taken to the hospital years ago.
The show was closed after the accident and the duo performed one more time for a 2009 20/20 special.
“I will forever believe it was his concern for my safety and well-being that caused him to act as he did on that night long ago,” Horn also said of the incident, adding after the animal died:
We spent many hours together and he never failed to bring me great joy and wonderment. It was my great honor to be beside him at the end.”
We send our condolences to the friends, family members and loved ones of Ray Horn.
May he rest in peace.