Siegfried Fischbacher of Siegfried & Roy dies at 81

Magician Siegfried Fischbacher of the duo Siegfried & Roy has died at 81.

Fischbacher died Wednesday at his home in Las Vegas from pancreatic cancer, his publicist confirmed to The Washington Post. His death comes after Roy Horn, the other half of the duo, died last May from COVID-19.

After beginning their magic act in the 1950s and taking it to Las Vegas in 1967, Siegfried & Roy performed together for more than four decades until 2003, when Horn was attacked by a white tiger during a performance. According to the Post, their career consisted of more than 30,000 performances, and they were among the highest-paid Las Vegas entertainers. The Associated Press also notes they "gained international recognition for helping to save rare white tigers and white lions from extinction," and "their $10 million compound was home to dozens of rare animals over the years."

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"Throughout the history of Las Vegas, no artists have meant more to the development of Las Vegas' global reputation as the entertainment capital of the world than Siegfried and Roy," MGM Mirage chair Terry Lanni said in 2003, per AP.

After Horn's death last May, Fischbacher paid tribute, saying the "world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend." Read more at The Washington Post.