Siegfried Fischbacher, half of the extravagant big illusionist cat Siegfried and Roy, died on Wednesday at his Las Vegas home. He was 81 years old.
Fischbacher had pancreatic cancer and recently underwent an operation to remove a tumor, his representatives announced in a statement to The Post.
He was discharged from the hospital earlier this month and was being cared for at home by two hospice workers.
The legendary magician’s death occurs less than a year after the death of his longtime stage partner, Roy Horn, due to COVID-19 complications.
The German-American duo met on board the cruise ship TS Bremen in 1957, where they came together because of Horn’s pet cheetah, Chico, which he smuggled on board.
Working as a steward and presenter, Fischbacher summoned Horn, the captain’s messenger, to assist him in his nightly magic show. After the presentation, Horn asked the question that changed both their lives: “Siegfried, missing rabbits are common, but can you make a cheetah disappear?”
Their show – which mixed tiger taming with David Copperfield magic and a flashy dose of Liberace brilliance – was launched in Sin City around 1967. But it was the $ 30 million run in 14 years at the Mirage theater, starting in 1989, which propelled them to global stardom amid the height of the era of excess.
“We did what we did for love, not for success or money,” said Siegfried once, according to his representatives. “We had a deep respect for each other. We literally created each other: I created Roy and Roy created Siegfried ”.
In 2003, Horn suffered a bloody injury that ended his career when Mantacore, a 400-pound Siberian tiger, sank his teeth into his neck during a live performance – on his 59th birthday, no less – at the Mirage casino hotel.
In a 2019 interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” program, the artists said they made peace with the infamous beating incident that killed their careers.
“I really don’t miss that,” Fischbacher said at the time. “We were on stage in Vegas alone for 40 years on stage, you know? And anyway we had the most successful show in the history of Las Vegas. “
Born in Rosenheim, Germany, on June 13, 1939, Fischbacher credited the purchase, in his childhood, of a book of magic for setting in motion a lasting love for the art of magic. Even after his acting days were over, Siegfried could be found daily at The Secret Garden of Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage, creating wonders for fans with a simple coin trick and always taking time for a photo.
His lifelong mantra: “In magic, anything is possible”.