VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: Roy (of Siegfried &) Died in 1988 and Was Secretly Replaced
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” publishes new entries every Monday, with a bonus Flashback Friday edition. Today’s entry in our ongoing series originally ran on Sept. 2, 2022.
Could Siegfried & Roy have put the ultimate illusion over on their fans? According to a popular myth surrounding the German-born magic duo, Roy Horn was replaced by a lookalike before the launch of their long-running show at the Mirage Las Vegas in 1990.
According to the myth, Fischbacher replaced Horn after he died of a horrible disease in an attempt to preserve the famous act that generated a reported $45 million per year. In this story, Fischbacher replaced him with Horn’s younger cousin. He treated “Roy 2” to crash courses in animal training and illusion, gave him a piece of the duo’s action, and had him undergo cosmetic surgery to look more like Horn.
Siegfried & Roy captivated Las Vegas audiences for 36 years by performing elaborate, dangerous magic tricks with big cats. These tricks were so dangerous that Horn nearly died on stage performing one in 2003. The injuries he sustained from being bitten in the neck by a white tiger named Mantacore, which included a crushed windpipe and partial paralysis, ended their career.
