Siegfried Fischbacher: In Memoriam

By Kurt Balingit
This month, we lost an icon in the live entertainment industry. It was announced by his publicist Dave Kirvin, that Siegfried Fischbacher had passed away on January 13th, 2021 at the age of 81 from pancreatic cancer. Fischbacher was best known as half of the electrifying duo “Siegfried & Roy”. The duo became a staple in the Las Vegas entertainment industry with their live performances involving exotic big cats, most notably white tigers & lions. Siegfried & Roy ran shows in Las Vegas 6 days a week, 44 weeks a year. The two ran these shows for decades, until their untimely retirement in 2003 after an on stage nearly fatal accident left Roy Horn partially paralyzed.
The duo also made a cameo in Las Vegas centered movies Ocean’s 11 & Vegas Vacation. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak described Siegfried Fischbacher “a ‘Master of the Impossible’ and an exemplary Nevadan whose contributions, alongside the late great Roy Horn, helped shine a bright spotlight on Las Vegas’s entertainment industry to the world.”
