L-R: Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn in 2015 — Denise Truscello/WireImage(LAS VEGAS) — Siegfried Fischbacher, the surviving member of famed entertainment duo Siegfried and Roy, has died in Las Vegas from pancreatic cancer, a rep for the legendary illusionist confirmed to ABC News. Fischbacher was 81.
His sister, a nun who lives in Munich, told the German news agency dpa that she was able to talk to him on the phone before he died and they prayed together.
“I could pray with him and tell him that I will always be with him in my heart,” she said.
Fischbacher’s long-time partner, Roy Horn, died in May of complications from COVID-19 at age 75.
The legendary performers changed the face of the Las Vegas Strip with their impressive illusions and white tiger-taming acts in a career that spanned 50 years.
Fischbacher was born in Rosenheim, Germany, on June 13, 1939, and met Horn in 1957. Siegfried and Roy began performing in Las Vegas in 1967. Before they opened an extravagant show at The Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas in 1990, the German duo had built a successful brand as entertainers around the world, performing everywhere from cruise ships to casinos.
After thousands of performances together, Fischbacher and Horn’s show at The Mirage came to an unexpected close in 2003 following an onstage incident involving Horn and his white Bengal tiger, Mantecore, which seriously injured Horn.
The duo stepped back onstage for one final performance on March 1, 2009, when they held a benefit show for the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. They said it raised $14 million.
The duo sat down with 20/20 in 2019 for “Siegfried & Roy: Behind the Magic,” a two-hour special on their storied career. In May, the duo shared the following message of love and support for those affected by COVID-19:
“Everyone in the United States and around the world impacted by this health crisis remain in our prayers. We know the real magic in all of us caring, cheering, loving and thanking one another will return everyone to good health and happiness. We can’t wait until it is possible for all of us to hug each other safely again. Love to all, Siegfried & Roy.”
Funeral services will be private with plans for a public memorial in the future, according to a statement from Fishbacher’s rep.
By Lauren Effron
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