Las Vegas lost another entertainment legend when word broke that Siegfried Fischbacher from Siegfried and Roy fame from their long-time running show at the Mirage Casino passed away at ag 81 from complications of pancreatic cancer. Siegfried and Roy first performed in Las Vegas in 1967 initially as a magic and illusionist act with big cats. They started working at the Mirage in 1990 before an mauling accident ended their 14-year run.
RIP Siegfried. The entertainment world lost one of the most-known performers in the world, while Las Vegas lost one of their all-time greatest performers. When you think about the all-time greatest performers in Las Vegas history, you quickly come up with Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and Siegfried and Roy.
Siegfried had a simple, yet powerful tagline and mantra: "In magic, anything is possible."
Siegfried Fischbacher was born in Germany in 1939. He gravitated toward magic tricks and performing as a child growing up in post-war Germany. Siegfried honed his skills and got good enough to entertain guests on a cruise ship. Siegfried met Roy Horn in 1957, who assisted him with tricks on the ship during his show. And that's when the two began working together for initially forged a long-time friendship and partnership that would last over 50 years.
"We did what we did out of love, not for success or money," Siegfried said. "We had a deep respect for each other. We literally raised each other: I created Roy and Roy created Siegfried."
In 1967, Siegfried and Roy started their first foray into the Las Vegas scene during the late 1960s. They paid their dues and became a mainstay in the 1970s. In the 1980s, they secured a long-running show at New Frontier.
When the Mirage opened, Steve Wynn tapped Siegfried and Roy to be their main attraction. The show cost over $30 million to produce, but it was a must-see event and people all around the globe took in the nightly sold-out show. Siegfried and Roy's show at the Mirage ran for 14 years and became one of the most successful shows in Vegas history.
Their show tragically ended in 2003 on Roy's 59th birthday when a white Siberian tiger named Mantecore mauled Roy and severed his spine while trying to carry the body offstage after Roy suffered a stroke.
Roy passed away in May 2020 due to complications from COVID-19.
A film and a miniseries about the life of Siegfried and Roy are still in development. There's a script for the film but that feature project is still in preproduction. No word on the miniseries, which we assume will appear on a streaming service.
Siegfried and Roy were supposed to be executive producers on the projects. When Roy passed away last year, Siegfried said that they will still continue with the projects.
"This will be our personal and emotional journey that could only be told as we looked back over how the connection between us built our career and led to our achievements," Siegfried said last year. "Now that Roy is gone, this movie will be the ultimate tribute to the truly special person Roy was not just to me but to our audiences and fans.
Michael 'Bully' Herbig is slated to direct the biopic.
In August 2020 when the Mirage Casino reopened after a coronavirus shutdown, the street in front of the Mirage was renamed after Siegfried and Roy called 'Siegfried and Roy Drive'.
