Roy Horn of legendary Las Vegas duo Siegfried and Roy dies of coronavirus at age 75

Maddie Capron
·2 min read

Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy died from coronavirus complications Friday in Las Vegas.

Horn was 75, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. He tested positive for coronavirus in April, according to the news outlet.

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

Horn “levitated tigers, made elephants disappear, turned himself into a python and mesmerized Las Vegas audiences,” The New York Times reported.

The duo met each other while working on a cruise ship while Horn was a steward and Siegfried was a magician, according to NBC News.

They both were reportedly fired from their jobs on the ship, according to Variety. Horn had smuggled his pet cheetah onto the ship and asked Siegfried if he could make it disappear, according to the news outlet.

Horn and Siegfried started performing in Las Vegas in 1967, according to ABC News. Their show moved to The Mirage in 1989 and ran for 14 years, the news outlet reported. Their run made more than $1 billion, according to the Gazette-Journal.

The act included “more than 55 white tigers, white lions, leopards, jaguars and an elephant that appeared and disappeared,” Variety reported.

They became a “staple of entertainment on the Strip,” NBC News reported, and performed for more than 10 million people, according to the Gazette-Journal.

Horn was attacked by one of the tigers in the show in 2003 and had severe injuries, but he survived, according to news outlets.

The tiger bit his neck and “dragged him off the stage,” according to Variety. Horn thought it was possible the tiger was saving him after he had a stroke onstage, the news outlet reported.

He had to relearn how to walk and talk before appearing at events again after the attack, according to Variety. In 2010, they retired, according to the news outlet.

“Roy’s whole life was about defying the odds,” Siegfried said, according to Variety. “He grew up with very little and became famous throughout the world for his showmanship, flair and his life-long commitment to animal conservation. He had a strength and will unlike anyone I have ever known.”