Report: Illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher, of ‘Siegfried & Roy,’ dies in Las Vegas
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive)BERLIN – Siegfried Fischbacher, namesake partner in the iconic entertainment duo Siegfried & Roy, has died in Las Vegas at age 81. Fischbacher’s long-time partner on and off the Las Vegas Strip, Roy Horn, died last year at a Las Vegas hospital of complications from COVID-19. For years, Siegfried & Roy was an institution in Las Vegas, where Fischbacher and Horn's magic and artistry consistently attracted sellout crowds. “They put Las Vegas on the map not only as spectacular illusionists but also as breeders, trainers and caretakers” of their performance animals. Their break came in a Monte Carlo casino when an agent in the audience invited them to Las Vegas.
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2020
The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.