Siegfried & Roy’s tiger show called the Mirage its home. As the Las Vegas hotel shutters, photos show the iconic residency’s legacy.

Siegfried & Roy’s tiger show called the Mirage its home. As the Las Vegas hotel shutters, photos show the iconic residency’s legacy.

It will be the end of an era on the Las Vegas strip when the Mirage closes its doors for good on July 17 — with plans to reopen as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas in spring 2027.

When the Mirage opened in November 1989, it opened a new chapter for Las Vegas, one defined by world-class entertainment like the late legendary duo Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn, whose iconic act, Siegfried & Roy, became synonymous with the hotel’s legacy.

From 1990 to 2003, the master illusionists and their white tigers captivated audiences from around the world. With their breathtaking blend of magic, theatrics and animal artistry, the German-born entertainers pushed the boundaries of live performance, ultimately defining the glitz and glamour of ’90s Las Vegas.

The duo signed a five-year, $57.5 million contract with the Mirage in 1987, three years before the hotel and casino opened. Once their residency began, Siegfried & Roy were an instant success and generated tens of millions of dollars per year, according to the New York Times. In 2001, they signed a lifetime contract with the casino.

The magic came to an abrupt end in October 2003 when, after 5,750 performances, Horn was mauled by one of their white tigers after suffering a stroke on stage. As the duo told ABC News in 2019, they believe the tiger was trying to protect Horn, not attack him, when it grabbed him by the neck and dragged him offstage.

The curtains closed after the tragic incident, but the performers didn’t leave Vegas forever. In 2009, they returned for their final performance at the Bellagio before retiring for good. Horn died in 2020 at age 75. Fischbacher died in 2021 at age 81.

Here’s a look back at their legendary residency at the Mirage through the decades.

Siegfried and Roy pose with one of their tigers soon after they signed a five-year contract at the Mirage in 1987.

Siegfried and Roy pose with one of their tigers soon after they signed a five-year contract at the Mirage in 1987. (ZIK Images/United Archives via Getty Images)

The ensemble of players perform onstage in Las Vegas in 1993.

The ensemble of players perform onstage in Las Vegas in 1993. (Alain BENAINOUS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Siegfried, right, and Roy perform a nail-biting act at the Mirage.

Siegfried, right, and Roy perform a nail-biting act at the Mirage. (Siegfried & Roy/Mirage via Getty Images)

Roy performs with a white tiger during their 15,000th live show in 1996 at the Mirage.

Roy performs with a white tiger during their 15,000th live show in 1996 at the Mirage. (Lennox McLendon/AP)

Siegfried and Roy in a hotel suite at the Mirage in the early 1990s.

Siegfried and Roy in a hotel suite at the Mirage in the early 1990s. (Peter Bischoff/Getty Images)

The duo pose with the stars of their Vegas residency: a small pride of white lions.

The magician duo pose with the stars of their Vegas residency: a small pride of white lions. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty Images)

The pair pose with a white tiger in 2000, soon after they were honored as Magicians of the Century.

The pair pose with a white tiger in 2000, soon after they were honored as Magicians of the Century. (Siegfried & Roy/Mirage via Getty Images)

Their show often welcomed numerous celebrity guests, including Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones,

Their show often welcomed numerous celebrity guests, including Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, center left. (Peter Bischoff/Getty Images)

Chelsea Clinton holds a bottle for a white tiger cub held by her father, former President Bill Clinton, alongside Siegfried and Roy after a performance at the Mirage in 2001.

Chelsea Clinton holds a bottle for a white tiger cub held by her father, former President Bill Clinton, alongside Siegfried and Roy after a performance at the Mirage in 2001. (EM)

Singer Michael Jackson bottle-feeds one of Siegfried and Roy's white tigers backstage at the Mirage in 2002.

Singer Michael Jackson bottle-feeds one of Siegfried and Roy’s white tigers backstage at the Mirage in 2002. (Siegfried & Roy/Mirage via Getty Images)

Singer Charo was also a fan of the magician duo and posed backstage at the Mirage in 2002.

Singer Charo was also a fan of the magician duo and posed backstage at the Mirage in 2002. (Siegfried & Roy/Mirage via Getty Images)

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