Las Vegas Weekly

October 2, 2009 · 9:08 AM

Happy 65th Birthday greetings to our hero Roy Horn

By Robin Leach

Siegfried & Roy share in cake at the Secret Garden.

Photo: Leila Navidi

I remember it so vividly -- as they say, as if it was yesterday. Six years ago this weekend, I stood on a stage at The Mirage, where the Cirque du Soleil Beatles musical Love is performed today, with Masters of the Impossible Siegfried & Roy. We were celebrating Roy Horn’s 59th birthday!

We never dreamed a day later after that happy occasion, we would be standing vigil and praying for Roy as he fought for his life after the tragic accident with 7-year-old male tiger Montecore. Doctors told me at the time that Roy had died three times on the operating table, yet refused to die.

It was to become a medical miracle -- and a human miracle because as manager Bernie Yuman told me, “Roy has the strength of a thousand men. He never lost the will to live.” Even when surgeons had to remove a portion of his brain to lessen the swelling and secure it in part of his stomach, Roy continued to fight.

Over the years, Roy has continued to fight. He was told he would never walk again, yet last Christmas, he walked the entire length of the Opportunity Village Santa Claus 5K route. Nobody thought he’d ever perform magic again, yet earlier this year, fulfilling a promise to me, they accepted my invitation to perform again at our annual Keep Memory Alive gala. The incredible event was televised by ABC’s 20/20 as a one-hour special, and Roy won yet another standing ovation.

He has defied all the odds and simultaneously proved everybody wrong. His courage, determination and diligent discipline are humbling. Roy Horn has taught us so much about the true meaning of winning. He has served as an inspiration to so many, and now he’s supporting the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health downtown.

I couldn’t let his 65th birthday tomorrow go by without noting it here on Vegas DeLuxe. His favorite chef, Spago’s David Robbins, will prepare the special birthday dinner at their Jungle Palace home for Roy, Siegfried, Lynette Chappell and their friends. I was there a year ago, but tomorrow I will be in Los Angeles to emcee their friend Wolfgang Puck’s annual chefs benefit fundraiser for Meals on Wheels.

Roy’s journey of recovery has been spectacular and hopefully will continue on gaining in strength. Happy Birthday, Roy: You are an inspiration to all of us, and we are grateful to you for the entertainment you brought us over the years and the lesson of courage and the will to win you still teach us today!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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