LAS VEGAS -- Illusionist Roy Horn of "Siegfried & Roy" fame was hospitalized in critical condition Saturday, a day after a tiger attacked him during a sold-out performance, authorities said.
Horn suffered a serious injury to the left side of his neck and underwent surgery late Friday at University Medical Center.
"The overwhelming likelihood is that we'll have to wait two or three days before we really understand the full extent of these injuries," MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said Saturday.
Horn, along with longtime partner Siegfried Fischbacher, have been a staple on the Las Vegas Strip for years, performing their magic show to sold-out crowds at The Mirage hotel-casino.
"For more than four decades, I have had the great privilege of standing at the side of this remarkable man, and I will continue to do so during this very challenging time," Fischbacher said in a statement Saturday. "We are grateful and overwhelmed with the tremendous support we have received from around the world, and ask for your continued prayers and reflection."
It was halfway during a Friday night performance that Horn appeared alone on stage with the tiger and told the crowd the animal was making its debut in the show -- a claim hotel officials said was part of the act.
The tiger, which weighed about 600 pounds, then lunged at Horn, who tried to beat the animal off with a microphone.
"I knew he was in trouble right away. I was horrified," said Diane Weightman, of Higley, Ariz. "I wanted to jump on stage and help him. I didn't know what to do."
Andy Cushman, a 23-year-old reporter from New Jersey, said Horn "looked like a rag doll" as the tiger dragged him off the stage.
Feldman said stage crew members used fire extinguishers to distract the tiger and get it off Horn.
After the attack, Fischbacher appeared on stage and told the 1,500 audience members the performance was canceled, Cushman said.
"Siegfried is very strong willed and has unconditional faith," said Bernie Yuman, the duo's longtime manager. "He's doing as well as can be expected."
Hotel officials said the show has been canceled indefinitely. The tiger involved in the attack, a 7-year-old male named Montecore, was quarantined at the hotel, officials said.
Horn, who turned 59 on Friday, had never been injured during a show before, "not a scratch, not by an animal," Yuman said.
The illusionists, who put on one of the most well-known and expensive Las Vegas shows with their signature white tigers and lions, signed a lifetime contract with The Mirage in 2001.
Many of Las Vegas' elite arrived at the hospital Saturday, including casino developer Steve Wynn and his wife.
Terry Lanni, chairman of MGM Mirage, issued a statement Saturday, praising the duo's contribution to Las Vegas.
"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," Lanni said. "They are so much more than the stars of The Mirage, they are the very heart of our resort."
Magician Lance Burton, who performs at the Monte Carlo hotel-casino, called the pair "the poster boys of Las Vegas."
"They're royalty," said Frankie Scinta, a performer at the Rio hotel-casino who rushed to the hospital upon hearing of Friday's attack.
The German-born pair perform six shows a week, 44 weeks per year and have been onstage in Las Vegas for more than 35 years.
------
On the Net:
http://www.siegfriedandroy.com/