Legendary Vegas Performer Siegfried Fischbacher of ‘Siegfried and Roy’ Fame Dead at 81

The legendary Las Vegas performer Siegfried Fischbacher, one half of the legendary duo ‘Siegfried and Roy,’ has now passed away at the age of 81.

Fischbacher apparently died due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

As The New York Post reports:

The legendary magician’s death comes less than a year after the passing of his longtime stage partner Roy Horn due to complications from COVID-19.

The German-American duo met aboard the TS Bremen cruise ship in 1957, where they bonded over Horn’s pet cheetah, Chico, which he had smuggled on board.

Working as a steward and entertainer, Fischbacher enlisted Horn, the captain’s bellboy, to assist during his nightly magic show. After the performance, Horn asked the question that changed both of their lives: “Siegfried, disappearing rabbits is ordinary, but can you make a cheetah disappear?”

Their eventual act — which blended tiger-taming with David Copperfield-esque magic and a gaudy dose of Liberace glitz — launched in Sin City circa 1967. But it was their $30-million, 14-year-run at the Mirage theater, beginning in 1989, that propelled them into global stardom amid the height of the era of excess.

AU Staff