Late magic legends Siegfried & Roy's Vegas palace is DEMOLISHED after being left to rot just years after their deaths
LATE magic legends Siegfried & Roy's Las Vegas palace has been demolished after being left to rot just four and five years after each died.
The iconic Jungle Palace fell into disrepair after homeless squatters moved in, leaving rubbish scattered across the estate.
8
Siegfried & Roy lived in a mansion in Las Vegas known as Jungle Palace
Credit: The Mega Agency
8
Late magic legends Siegfried & Roy's Vegas palace is demolished
Credit: YouTube/ Las Vegas Live Stream mit René
8
The property was extravagantly decorated with bold furnishings
Credit: The Mega Agency
8
The property also had three pools and a jacuzzi - where Roy used to swim with the big cats
Credit: The Mega Agency
8
Siegfried & Roy in their private apartment at the Mirage Hotel on the Vegas Strip, along with one of their performing white lions
Credit: Alamy
8
Video shows the demolition
Credit: YouTube/ Las Vegas Live Stream mit René
Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn's estate was once full of life with extravagant decor and big cats roaming the grounds.
But it has sadly been demolished after being abandoned following the duo's deaths.
A tour organizer who knew the couple well, René Meinert, said: 'It hurts like hell to have to watch these historic houses being simply demolished."
The impressive property was built in the 1954 and featured a number of animal enclosures, as well as a bird sanctuary.
The 8,750-square-foot estate included a main house, three guest houses, two detached studios, three swimming pools and a jacuzzi.
The main house had two bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as its own jacuzzi and a pool.
The premises also included its very own casita and a cabana.
The magicians moved into the lavish estate in 1982 to give their beloved lions and tigers a place to roam free.
Roy even allowed the big cats to sleep in his bed and would often swim with them in the pool.
The couple decorated their home with priceless Persian rugs, crystal candle holders, baroque carved furnishings, a clock owned by Napoleon, gold candelabras and a jewel-encrusted sword thought to have belonged to Genghis Khan.
Siegfried and Roy perform on stage for the final time
The estate was sold for $1.87 million in 2022 after Siegfried died from pancreatic cancer.
Roy Horn died a year prior after suffering complications from Covid.
A year later it changed hands again and was sold for $3million to Carden International Circus owners, Brett and George Carden.
The Carden's planned to turn the property into a tourist attraction and had a grand vision for an "entertainment venue and museum".
But sadly these plans never came to light and the estate fell into disrepair.
Homeless squatters began living in the property, leaving rubbish scattered across the grounds.
Photos from inside the grounds show prescription drugs, shopping carts, beer bottles and food remnants on the abandoned floors.
Disused clothing, rough sleeping arrangements and tattered furnishings can also be seen.
Who were Siegfried and Roy? Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn were German-American entertainers who performed an animal-based magic show together as Siegfried & Roy.
Siegfried was the magician and Roy was the animal trainer.
The pair met in 1959 while working on a cruise ship and soon began performing together on ships and in European clubs and theatres.
In 1967 they began performing in Las Vegas - headlining a show at the iconic venue The Mirage.
Their acts featured exotic animals including white lions and white tigers.
But after 5,750 performances their performing career came to an end in 2003 when Roy was injured by a tiger during a show.
The couple were thought to be romantically involved, living together at Jungle Palace, a Moroccan-themed 8-acre estate in the Las Vegas area.
Siegfried died in January 2021 and Roy died in May 2020.
The pair was also known as Masters of the Impossible.
Siegfried & Roy were a pair of German magicians best known for their illusions and acts with tigers.
The duo first met while working on a cruise ship in 1957.
Roy felt underwhelmed by Siegfried's magic tricks and decided to smuggle a cheetah onboard before their next voyage.
The pair went on tour and performed at clubs and theatres around Europe.
The entertainers made their Las Vegas debut in 1967 and became a headline act at the iconic venue The Mirage.
Roy was famously attacked by a white tiger named Mantecore during performance at the Mirage Las Vegas in 2003 - leaving him partially paralyzed.
This marked the pair's 5,750th performance.
It wasn't until March 1, 2009 that they reappeared on stage for a benefit show.
8
Siegfried & Roy at their home in July 1983
Credit: Getty
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Reporter
7 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Restless Natives
There are those of us from a certain generation that grew up with Restless Natives. I remember it being screened on Channel 4 while still at St Mark's Primary School in Oxgangs. The next day my classmates were buzzing with tales of the Clown and the Wolfman riding on a Suzuki motorbike and holding up buses. They presented a new kind of Scottish hero from just down the road in Wester Hailes. Part of it was seeing characters with accents like yours, they were modern day folk heroes robbing the rich to literally throw money around Edinburgh council schemes. Forty years later the story returns with a new stage production which arrives in Edinburgh this month at Leith Theatre exactly four decades after the film premiered in Edinburgh's ABC cinema in June 1985. Original Restless Natives screenwriter and now lyricist Ninian Dunnett and director Michael Hoffman invited Sarah Galbraith to be part of an original workshop for the new musical version just after Covid-19. The role she was invited to play had a certain amount of heft thanks to the great character actor Ned Beatty who played American cop Bender. In the original film he gets involved in the police chase to capture Will and Ronnie. (This time around Bender remains American but he has changed gender.) 'I didn't know they were going to switch the role' said Sarah of Bender's transition from male to female, 'but like the character, I was an American in Scotland.' Galbraith is now based in Falkirk with her husband and daughter. 'Later I asked Michael Hoffman and he explained that he hadn't really thought about it, but decided it would be great for this version. They've developed this brilliant story around her and the reason she really wants to catch these boys is because of issues with her dad. It's a cool transition.' While the original film is packed with Scottish banter and humour, it was also political with an undertone of Scottish nationalism. It's fair to say anti-Thatcherite themes were more obvious. Ms Galbraith said: 'The production does have a moral compass, there's dialogue where the characters talk about tourists spending £20 on a pair of plastic bagpipes while they are underpaid. Will's moral compass kicks in and he wants to give the money away to help people. The scene where money is fired out of these cannons to his community with people picking up the money is very powerful. Ronnie goes more off the deep end and is more into the badness (of robbing). It's really all about how you 'stick it to the man' and make more of yourself than what was ever expected of you.' The production has been successfully touring Scotland where certain audiences have cheered when the classic line is recited 'I hold up buses'. Edinburgh is central to the story with locations such as Wester Hailes, Princes Street, North Bridge and Salisbury Crags all included in the original film. The bus station scene was said to have been filmed in Glasgow but the yellow Bar-Ox (a teenage gang from Oxgangs) spray paint on the escalator suggests otherwise. Now north Edinburgh will become part of the story when Restless Natives arrives at the regenerated Leith Theatre. Sarah said: 'We are looking forward to arriving in the capital where the story is set. It's a home-grown Scottish musical, there are lots of jukebox musicals now but as well as the original Big Country material there's new music written by Tim Sutton. The sounds very much belong in the 80s in terms of the Big Country guitar riffs as well as the kinds of sounds you might recognise from an advert or something that could only be from that time.' The much loved Big Country soundtrack amplified the Scottish underdog spirit of the film, and Will's fascination with Rob Roy also added a further swashbuckling romance. The musical, much like the original film, suggests it's time for Scotland to produce new stories and heroes. Sarah added: 'The tourists are no longer interested in the original Scottish heroes. They want to know about these new ones. As the policeman says at the end 'spending is up, tourism is up; you're bigger than the Loch Ness Monster'. These boys become the Scottish heroes of the times'. Ned Beatty was persuaded to take on the original role of Bender for £25,000, a kilt and a Scottish holiday. Ned Beatty Photo courtesy of Studio Canal Sarah agrees there are resonances with herself and the character. She arrived in Scotland after growing up in New Jersey and meeting her husband while singing on a cruise ship. She said: 'I was about 15 minutes from New York and my thing growing up was Broadway shows. In those days you could get tickets for the last row for around $15. My idol was Lea Salonga who was the original voice of Jasmine in the Disney film Aladdin, I would go and see her in Miss Saigon and Les Misérables, really anything she was in'. Sarah achieved something of an American dream when she met Lea and became her backing singer for UK tours and a subsequent Christmas tour of the states. She will carry on in that role later this year. 'I met my idol and now I sing backing for her'. Sometimes dreams do come true. Restless Natives is at Leith Theatre from June 7 to 21 2025 A still from the original film courtesy of Studio Canal Sarah Galbraith – an American in Scotland 'Restless Natives' Musical Scotland Tour 40 years on from their last ride (the original film was released in 1985), this hilarious and faithful new adaptation is produced by the same creative team behind the beloved classic Scottish film. PHOTO Colin Hattersley Like this: Like Related
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
You're NOT a typical working mum, Meghan – you've got a nanny & it's so grating when you whine, expert slams
MEGHAN Markle has been slammed by a royal expert for whining about being a typical working mum despite having a nanny. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, admitted in April she had an "amazing" nanny who had helped her look after Prince Archie, aged six, and Princess Lilibet, aged three, for the past five years. 3 Meghan Markle has been slammed for 'overusing' examples of the difficulties of being a mum, despite having a nanny 3 The Duchess of Sussex admitted in April she had an 'amazing' nanny who had helped out the family for the past five years Credit: YouTube 3 Meghan said previously her life of 'juggling' working and being a mum was 'incredibly overwhelming' Credit: Instagram/meghan However, an expert has slammed the mum-of-two for "going on and on" about her life as a working mum, despite her "great privilege" giving her access to helpful resources that much of the rest of the world "cannot afford". Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive Show, Royal Correspondent Bronte Coy said she was "frustrated" by Meghan for "overusing" the examples of her motherly responsibilities. The expert explained: "I have a son, but when I hear people from positions of great privilege - where they can afford nannies and a lot of help - go on and on and on about the working mum thing, it's not the same. "Yes, it's time away from your kid - I definitely understand that aspect - but it's not the same as the working mum idea that a lot of the rest of the world has to deal with. "And so she really leaned into that a lot, and I think, well, is this a struggle that you have a lot?" Bronte added: "You do have help. And also you are at home a lot." "I find that a little bit grating." Meghan had admitted in an appearance on The Jamie Kern Lima Show in April that her nanny would step in to help take her children to school. Her admission came just weeks after the Duchess of Sussex said she felt the "juggling" of working and being a mum was "incredibly overwhelming", adding: "Oh my gosh, I just need a break." Adding to Bronte's points, broadcaster and writer Esther Krakue said Meghan was trying "to be this thing that she's clearly not", in relation to her "influencer" status. There's nothing much left of 'erratic' Harry in terms of a man, he's just watching Meghan crack on Esther explained: "I don't even want to feel like we're beating down on everything she does - I genuinely wish her all the success. "But I feel sad that she feels the need to be this thing that she's clearly not. She's not a chemist. She's not a physicist." "But that's fine - sometimes it's OK to just be pretty and to have good fortune in life and to ride that wave." In response, Bronte added that she felt Meghan would be best suited to returning to her lifestyle space, which "she clearly loves." The expert added: "I think that she, I was always hopeful when she leaned into the lifestyle space, clearly she loves that. "I thought maybe we're going to see a more relaxed, casual, real Meghan - I really had hoped that would work - I thought that was going to be a good idea for her. "I have been disappointed by the output, however. "I think it's just not quite landed for a lot of people, particularly now the show is wrapped up." This comes as the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix cooking show was slammed by an expert for not "being entertaining or informative". Esther Krakue questioned the point of the eight-part series With Love, Meghan, which saw the duchess hosting celeb pals such as Mindy Kaling and Abigail Spencer. The Netflix series saw Meghan making guest baskets, beeswax candles, and a single skillet spaghetti, filmed at a farmhouse near her £12million Montecito mansion. Esther shared: 'There's nothing there. 'She's very, like - I'm not saying this to be horrible - she is not an entertainer or an entertaining person. 'There's not much personality there. 'I never learn anything from her. I love lifestyle shows. I watch them every day. I don't learn anything. I didn't learn anything from hers. And she's just not entertaining. 'She's not a fun person to be around. 'You don't think this is the person I want to go to the pub with to have a pint with. 'It's very clear that she is not box office in terms of entertainment quality.'
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Doctor Who's Billie Piper rekindles romance with ex shocking onlookers with raunchy PDA in pub
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BILLIE Piper has rekindled her romance with her ex-boyfriend Johnny Lloyd with fans spotting them snogging while out on the town. The actress and rocker Johnny, were seen canoodling at a country music gig on Thursday at a trendy Notting Hill boozer. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Billie Piper and ex Johnny Lloyd have been spotted snogging at a Notting Hill pub gig Credit: Goff 6 The couple had been together for eight years before their split in 2023 Credit: Getty 6 Billie and Johnny split after having a tough time during the Covid lockdowns Credit: Goff It comes two years after they split, having struggled with their relationship during Covid lockdown. They share a daughter Tallulah, now seven. An onlooker said: "Billie and Johnny were all over each other. They looked really cute together. "Billie beamed as their daughter Tallulah sat on her lap. "Billie rested her elbow on Johnny's shoulder as the band belted out country music covers - they all looked blissfully happy. "The family trio left around 8, thanking the band with handshakes and kisses as they left the venue." The Sun revealed the couple split up in 2023 after eight years together and at the time a source said: "It's obviously very sad that the couple have gone their separate ways. "But the relationship ran its course and they decided they would be better off apart. "Like many couples, lockdown was quite tough for them, so they have had time to really think about what they want their future to look like. 'They will always treasure the time they had together and have many happy memories. Billie Piper splits from long term boyfirned Johnny Lloyd 'Now they are concentrating on co-parenting their daughter and their separate careers.' Newcastle-born Johnny, who spent time in LA writing soundtracks for Netflix and TV shows, is in a band called Tribes. 'Big romance' Opening up about the love affair with Billie, Johnny said in 2019: 'It was a big romance. If you meet somebody like that it blows you over. This was who I wanted to be with. Every day she inspires me. 'I cannot stress enough how talented I think she is. 'I was a bit lost before but seeing what she can achieve in a day, the amount of meetings she takes and how she moves her life forward inspires me to work harder. 'She doesn't wait and see if things happen, she goes out and gets them. That's why she's so successful. It's awe-inspiring." "She's ambitious, we both are.' Johnny featured a heavily pregnant Billie cradling her baby bump on the cover of his 2019 solo album, Next Episode Starts in 15 Seconds. Billie and Johnny were all over each other. They looked really cute together Onlooker He told how his partner had improved his life 'in so many ways'. She challenged me. The singer said: 'She kept asking me questions like, 'What's your five-year plan? "Where are you headed musically?' And telling me I had to be accountable for everything I did.'I felt my head had been stuck in this way of just thinking 'next job, next tour' and I wanted to keep talking to her. 'Luckily she felt the same way about me. She's made my life better in so many ways and I just feel I now know who I am, I know what I can do, I know where I want to be. And that's with her.' The Doctor Who star was previously married to DJ Chris Evans, who was 17 years her senior. The actress then married actor turned political activist Laurence Fox, 46, welcoming two sons Winston and Eugene before they split in 2016. When Doctor Who was rebooted in 2005 Billie found huge success as the Time Lord's companion Rose Tyler — first alongside Christopher Eccleston and then with David led to a string of other roles, including the raunchy Secret Diary of a Call Girl. She has been nominated for scores of awards, and in 2017 won an Olivier for best actress for her stage performance in Yerma. She briefly dated fellow Doctor Who star Matt Smith in 2006. 6 The couple have a daughter, Tallulah, who is now seven Credit: Goff 6 A customer at the pub visited by the couple said: 'Billie and Johnny were all over each other. They looked really cute together' Credit: Goff 6 The Doctor Who star was previously married to DJ Chris Evans, who was 17 years her senior Credit: Goff
