Roy Horn (born Uwe Ludwig Horn; October 3, 1944 – May 8, 2020).

Siegfried Fischbacher (born June 13, 1939) and Roy Horn were a German duo of magicians and entertainers, who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers.

From 1990 until Horn's career-ending injury on October 3, 2003, the duo formed Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage Resort and Casino, which was regarded as the most visited show in Las Vegas, Nevada. From August 2004 to May 2005, Fischbacher and Horn were executive producers of Father of the Pride.

Early life

Fischbacher and Horn were born and raised in Germany. They emigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens.

Roy Horn was born Uwe Ludwig Horn on October 3, 1944, in Nordenham, in the midst of bomb attacks, to Johanna Horn. His biological father died in World War ll, and his mother remarried a construction worker after the war ended. She later began work in a factory. Horn had three brothers: Manfred, Alfred, and Werner. Horn became interested in animals at a very young age, and cared for his childhood dog, named Hexe.

Horn's mother's friend's husband Emil was founder of the Bremen Zoo, which gave Horn access to exotic animals from the age of 10. Horn visited the United States briefly when his ship wrecked and was towed to New York City. He returned home to Bremen before returning to the sea as a waiter, where he met Fischbacher and launched his performance career.

Career

The owner of the Astoria Theatre in Bremen, Germany, saw Fischbacher and Horn's act aboard a Caribbean cruise ship and recruited the duo to perform at her nightclub. This launched a career on the European nightclub circuit, and the duo began to perform with tigers. They were discovered performing in Paris by Tony Azzie, who asked them to come to Las Vegas in 1967. They spent some time in Puerto Rico, and may have purchased property there.

In 1981, Ken Feld of Irvin & Kenneth Feld Productions started the Beyond Belief show with Fischbacher and Horn at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino. A revamped version of the show was taken on a world tour in the third quarter of 1988.

During a period of their careers, the two were romantically involved.

2003 tiger attack

During a show at the Mirage on October 3, 2003, a seven-year-old white tiger named Mantecore attacked Horn. As part of the act but veering off script, Horn held his microphone to Mantecore's mouth and told him to say "hello" to the audience. Mantecore responded by biting Horn's sleeve. Horn swatted the tiger and barked "release!", but Mantecore then knocked Horn down with his leg and pinned him to the floor.

As standby trainers rushed in from offstage to assist, Mantecore bit into Horn's neck and carried him offstage. Trainers were only able to get the tiger to release Horn after spraying him with CO2 canisters, the last resort available.

The attack severed Horn's spine, inflicted critical blood loss, and caused severe injuries to other parts of his body, permanently affecting his ability to move, walk, and speak. Horn also suffered a stroke although doctors could not determine if the stroke occurred before or after Mantecore dragged him offstage.

While being taken to the hospital, Horn said, "Mantecore is a great cat. Make sure no harm comes to Mantecore." Horn told People Magazine in September 2004 that Mantecore "saved his life" by attempting to drag him to safety after he suffered a stroke. The injury to Horn prompted the Mirage to close the show and 267 cast and crew members were laid off.

Trainer Chris Lawrence, who saved Horn's life by deploying the CO2 canisters, later refuted Fischbacher and Horn's explanations for why the tiger attacked Horn, alleging that it was due to Horn's mishandling of Mantecore. The duo dismissed Lawrence's claims, stating he "had problems with his life anyway", in apparent reference to the latter's alcoholism and mental health issues. Lawrence stated that Mantecore was "off" that night and in an irritable mood and Horn had failed to recognize that, resulting in Mantecore "doing what tigers do" (i.e., attacking). Lawrence later said he believed that the duo and the Mirage covered up the real reason for the attack in order to protect their image.

Horn’s illness and death

In late April 2020, Horn's publicist said he tested positive for COVID-19 and was "responding well to treatment". However, his condition deteriorated, and he died at age 75 on May 8 at Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas. The duo's spokesman, Dave Kirvin, announced the news of Horn's death and said it was due to complications from the disease. Fischbacher stated that "the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend".

Filmography

• Bassie & Adriaan: De reis vol verrassingen (children's television series; 1994)
• Siegfried & Roy: Masters of the Impossible (1996)
• Vegas Vacation (1997)
• Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box (1999)
• Ocean's Eleven (2001)
• Showboy (2002)

• Father of the Pride (2004–2005) (executive producers)[citation needed]
• Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Returns (March 6, 2009)