Siegfried Fischbacher, one-half of the legendary Siegfried and Roy duo, is reportedly terminally ill with pancreatic cancer.
German media outlet Bild broke the news that the 81-year-old recently told his sister Dolore — who is a Franciscan nun living in Germany — that he is on hospice care at his home in Las Vegas.
I take my brother with me in every one of my prayers and I am deeply connected to him,” Dolore was quoted in the Bild article.
Roy Horn died just eight months ago from complications of COVID-19.
“The world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend,” Fischbacher said in a statement last May. “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.”
Las Vegas Mainstay
Siegfried and Roy and Las Vegas went hand in hand for decades. Before Cirque du Soleil, David Copperfield, and Penn & Teller, they were the must-see magic show on the Strip.
The magicians and entertainers, best known for their illusions involving white tigers, sold out shows for years. The duo, who were romantically involved throughout their career, got their start in Las Vegas in 1967 at the Tropicana.
They held two residencies at the Stardust, and performed at the MGM Grand before earning their first headlining show at the Frontier Casino. After a seven-year run, they moved to the Mirage after Steve Wynn opened the Strip casino resort in 1990.
Siegfried and Roy stayed at the Mirage for 13 years. In 2003, the curtain came down on the show following Horn being critically injured by Montecore, a 650-pound white tiger. Horn was left partially paralyzed from the attack, and suffered two strokes in the aftermath of the incident.
The duo never blamed Montecore for their career-ending fate. The tiger died at Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden habitat at the Mirage in 2014.
Permanent Place in History
Siegfried and Roy sold more than $1 billion worth of tickets during their 13-year run at the Mirage. Forbes estimates that the two earned approximately $52 million for themselves during the residency.
Last August, MGM Resorts, parent company of the Mirage, renamed the road into the Strip casino resort Siegfried & Roy Drive.
I’m touched by this honor and I know Roy, if he were here, would love to see our names permanently placed on the Strip,” Fischbacher said at a low-key ceremony. “The Mirage was our performance home for so many years and this city has always meant so much to both of us.”
Siegfried and Roy have meant so much to Las Vegas and its millions of visitors, too.
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