Roy Horn, who was part of the famous illusionist pair Siegfried & Roy who passed away on Friday in Las Vegas, was known for his ability to levitate tigers, make elephants disappear, transform himself into a python, and enchant audiences in Las Vegas for decades during the course of his career. He was 75 years old.
According to his publicist, Dave Kirvin, the cause was complications of the sickness known as Covid-19, which is caused by the coronavirus. According to Mr. Kirvin, Mr. Horn, who resided in Las Vegas, had a positive test result for the virus approximately one week ago and passed away at MountainView Hospital.
Mr. Horn, who was born in Germany, and Siegfried Fischbacher’s long-running production, which was one of the most successful in the history of Las Vegas, came to an end on October 3, 2003. Mr. Horn, who was celebrating his 59th birthday at the time, was beheaded by a white tiger weighing 400 pounds. The tiger lunged at his throat and dragged him offstage in front of a stunned capacity crowd of 1,500 people at the Mirage hotel and casino, which was located in Las Vegas.
As the assistant jumped on the tiger’s back and attempted to pry open its jaws, the assistant yanked the tiger’s tail. An further person used a fire extinguisher to spray it until it released its grip. However, the windpipe of Mr. Horn had been crushed, and an artery that was responsible for delivering oxygen to his brain had been damaged. In addition to undergoing two operations at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas and being placed on life support, he suffered a stroke and a partial paralysis on his left side.
However, after spending many weeks in critical condition, Mr. Horn started his long road to recovery by receiving rehabilitation at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. In the year 2004, he went back to his residence in Las Vegas, and within a few months, he was able to walk again with the use of a walker.
There were even rumors that he may make a comeback, but both medical professionals and entertainment industry executives thought it was extremely unlikely.
A fundraiser performance for the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas was Siegfried and Roy’s last appearance with a tiger. This performance took place in February of 2009. In 2010, they made their official exit from the entertainment industry.
