Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Minus fanfare, Roy Horn returns to Las Vegas

Security request brings police, but paparazzi never materialize

Roy HornIllusionist transported Monday by helicopter to Las Vegas from UCLA Medical Center A private security detail escorts an ambulance transporting Roy Horn into the Siegfried & Roy estate Monday afternoon. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Just a few minutes before 2 p.m. Monday, an ambulance flanked by four motorcycle police officers brought partially paralyzed illusionist Roy Horn home for the holidays.

The transport of Horn, half of the Las Vegas magic duo Siegfried & Roy, took place without fanfare. Horn was helicoptered to an undisclosed site in Las Vegas from the medical center at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was being treated for injuries sustained on Oct. 3.

A 7-year-old white tiger named Montecore attacked Horn during a performance at The Mirage, biting him in the neck and dragging him from the stage in front of a shocked audience.

The ambulance drove onto the heavily gated, shared estate of Siegfried & Roy as police officers stopped the sparse traffic Monday on the residential street just off Vegas Drive, west of Rancho Drive.

Las Vegas police became involved when they responded to a call from Horn's personal security staff, who told police they feared paparazzi would mob the ambulance before it could enter the compound.

"They contacted the sheriff (Bill Young), and the sheriff authorized it," Sgt. Rick Barela said. "The sheriff determined that it could be a security issue and that it might pose a threat to Horn's safety."

The paparazzi never materialized, however, and police left the scene when the ambulance was safely within the walls of the property.

"Roy continues to make progress in his recovery," said Horn's publicist David Kirvin. "He will continue his rehabilitation under the care of a team of doctors and therapists from Los Angeles and Las Vegas."

Kirvin did not know if Horn would remain in Las Vegas after the holidays or return to UCLA Medical Center for rehabilitation. Until November, Horn was dependent on a respirator. His speech is severely limited, and he is reportedly paralyzed on his left side. According to doctors, Horn suffered severe blood loss the night of the attack and later had a stroke so serious it required surgeons to remove one-quarter of his skull to enable his swelling brain to expand.

Horn's partner, Siegfried Fischbacher, has a theory that contradicts physician accounts of what occurred. He's said on national news programs that he believes Horn suffered a series of mini-strokes during the show and that the white tiger was actually attempting to drag him to safety.

Kirvin said that no further information about the entertainer's care and condition would be released. The word of Horn's trip home for Christmas is trickling out to friends, well-wishers and fans. The outside wall of the estate is papered in get-well wishes from schoolchildren and individuals. One anonymous person used a black marker and neon green poster board to offer a prediction:

"Roy, God can and God will bring you home real soon."