Siegfried Fischbacher, left, and Roy Horn pose outside The Mirage in Las Vegas in 1993. Their show regularly sold out during its run from 1990-2003.
In pictures: The magical lives of Siegfried & Roy
Siegfried Fischbacher, left, and Roy Horn pose outside The Mirage in Las Vegas in 1993. Their show regularly sold out during its run from 1990-2003.
Alain Benainous/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Published 12:22 PM EST, Thu January 14, 2021

Siegfried Fischbacher, an illusionist known for working with exotic cats as one half of Siegfried & Roy, has died from pancreatic cancer, according to his publicist Dave Kirvin. He was 81.

Siegfried and Roy Horn dazzled audiences for decades with their act combining magic and exotic animals. Horn died in May from complications caused by Covid-19.

The pair rose from war-torn Germany to become world-renowned stars of stage, film and television. Their act started in Europe and they later became regulars in Las Vegas, where they performed for four decades.

Their $30 million production at The Mirage — an unheard of amount when it started in 1990 — regularly sold out what was at the time the largest theater in Las Vegas history. The show ended in 2003 after Horn's spine was severed in an on-stage incident with a white tiger.

Horn's love for animals began when he was a child. As he grew older, his passion for animals extended to include the exotic. The cheetah with Horn here, Chico, became the first cat Siegfried & Roy would use in their act.
Horn's love for animals began when he was a child. As he grew older, his passion for animals extended to include the exotic. The cheetah with Horn here, Chico, became the first cat Siegfried & Roy would use in their act.
Siegfried and Roy
Fischbacher and Horn pose with French singer Mireille Mathieu in 1977. The two men met aboard the TS Bremen cruise ship in 1957, where Fischbacher was working as a steward and entertainer. He enlisted Horn, the captain's bellboy, to assist during his nightly magic show.
Fischbacher and Horn pose with French singer Mireille Mathieu in 1977. The two men met aboard the TS Bremen cruise ship in 1957, where Fischbacher was working as a steward and entertainer. He enlisted Horn, the captain's bellboy, to assist during his nightly magic show.
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Fischbacher and Horn worked together over five decades and spent most of their careers in Las Vegas.
Fischbacher and Horn worked together over five decades and spent most of their careers in Las Vegas.
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The duo performs live on television in 1983.
The duo performs live on television in 1983.
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Fischbacher performs with a tiger in 1983.
Fischbacher performs with a tiger in 1983.
Bei/Shutterstock
Fischbacher feeds meat to a tiger in 1987.
Fischbacher feeds meat to a tiger in 1987.
MediaPunch/Shutterstock
Horn plays with white tigers during a show in Bruehl, Germany, in 1987.<br />
Horn plays with white tigers during a show in Bruehl, Germany, in 1987.
dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock Photo
Siegfried & Roy perform at New York's Radio City Music Hall in 1989.
Siegfried & Roy perform at New York's Radio City Music Hall in 1989.
Ed Bailey/AP
Horn lets children pet a tiger cub in New York's Central Park in 1992.
Horn lets children pet a tiger cub in New York's Central Park in 1992.
Andrea Renault/ZUMA Press/Alamy Stock Photo
Fischbacher and Horn pose with lions in 1997.
Fischbacher and Horn pose with lions in 1997.
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Fischbacher hands a cub to "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno in 1997.
Fischbacher hands a cub to "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno in 1997.
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Horn kisses the lioness Tandy at a safari park in Holte-Stukenbrock in 1997.<br />
Horn kisses the lioness Tandy at a safari park in Holte-Stukenbrock in 1997.
uri Karl Stroese/dpa/AP
Fischbacher and Horn play with a white tiger at a park in Stuckenbrock, Germany, in 1997. <br />
Fischbacher and Horn play with a white tiger at a park in Stuckenbrock, Germany, in 1997.
Boris Roessler/dpa/AP
The duo poses with a white tiger in Johannesburg in 1998.
The duo poses with a white tiger in Johannesburg in 1998.
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Horn kisses Prosperity, a 7-month-old white lioness he donated to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in 1998.
Horn kisses Prosperity, a 7-month-old white lioness he donated to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in 1998.
Glenn Hartong/The Enquirer/USAToday
The duo is pictured with two of their lions in 1999. <br />
The duo is pictured with two of their lions in 1999.
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Siegfried & Roy are honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.
Siegfried & Roy are honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.
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Fischbacher and Horn hold four baby white lions at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2001. The cubs were the offspring of two white lions that Fischbacher and Horn donated to the zoo.
Fischbacher and Horn hold four baby white lions at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2001. The cubs were the offspring of two white lions that Fischbacher and Horn donated to the zoo.
Al Behrman/AP
Fischbacher and Horn talk with pop star Michael Jackson as he feeds one of their tigers in Las Vegas in 2002.
Fischbacher and Horn talk with pop star Michael Jackson as he feeds one of their tigers in Las Vegas in 2002.
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The duo poses with a lion in Las Vegas in 2003.
The duo poses with a lion in Las Vegas in 2003.
Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress
Horn kisses a tiger cub at his Las Vegas home in 2008. After his on-stage accident in 2003, Horn eventually was able to walk again. But he and Fischbacher would only perform together one more time before retiring in 2010. Horn spent the rest of his life traveling, visiting his animals and attending shows and philanthropic events in Las Vegas.
Horn kisses a tiger cub at his Las Vegas home in 2008. After his on-stage accident in 2003, Horn eventually was able to walk again. But he and Fischbacher would only perform together one more time before retiring in 2010. Horn spent the rest of his life traveling, visiting his animals and attending shows and philanthropic events in Las Vegas.
Louie Traub/AP
Fischbacher and Horn are joined by Emma Goldsberry, a 12-year-old with the Make-A-Wish Foundation who they appointed as the SARMOTI Cubs Child Ambassador of Conservation. Siegfried & Roy's SARMOTI Foundation is dedicated to the protection, conservation and preservation of endangered animals.
Fischbacher and Horn are joined by Emma Goldsberry, a 12-year-old with the Make-A-Wish Foundation who they appointed as the SARMOTI Cubs Child Ambassador of Conservation. Siegfried & Roy's SARMOTI Foundation is dedicated to the protection, conservation and preservation of endangered animals.
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Fischbacher and Horn attend Criss Angel's charity event in Las Vegas in 2016.
Fischbacher and Horn attend Criss Angel's charity event in Las Vegas in 2016.
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