Roy Talks!

Wed., Mar. 10, 2004 1:30 PM PST by Josh Grossberg

Last week he was walking, now Siegfried and Roy's Roy Horn is talking.

The illusionist has regained his ability to speak, months after being mauled by one of his signature white tigers during a performance at Las Vegas' MGM Mirage.

In a telephone interview given to German magazine Bunte from his Las Vegas home, the showman let his fans know that the healing's going well.

"You know I nearly had both feet in the ground," Horn told Bunte for its issue hitting newsstands Thursday. "But I am doing fine again."

Horn was nearly killed when a 600-pound male cat named Montecore grabbed him by the neck and dragged him offstage during what was supposed to be a celebratory show on Oct. 3, Horn's 59th birthday. Horn was hospitalized in critical condition and suffered massive blood loss, leading to a stroke that left him with limited motor functions. He was unable to walk or eat and his prognosis appeared grim.

However, Horn has rallied, making what doctors called a miraculous recovery.

Horn says his voice isn't as strong as it could be, but he said he was feeling mentally fit since returning to the duo's Vegas compound and was continuing to make progress with his physical rehab.

"I have the same trainer as Christopher Reeve, and I train nine hours a day with him," Horn said. "Spread the good news. You spoke to me and I am well."

Last week, Horn's rep confirmed that the animal-loving entertainer was back on his feet--though still needing the aid of a walker to steady himself.

Siegfried Fischbacher, who has maintained an unwavering conviction that his partner would recover, told Bunte that his collaborator of four decades remains positive and the two often crack jokes together.

"He sits in a wheelchair and sometimes I give him a ride around our garden in the golf cart," he told the magazine.

Given the horror of the tiger attack (which Fischbacher insists was an accident) and the prospect of a long recovery for Horn, the Mirage shuttered the pair's legendary show, putting hundreds out of work and ending what was an annual $44 million source of revenue for the luxury hotel.

NBC, however, has already scheduled the computer-animated series Father of the Pride for the fall season. The show, featuring the voices of John Goodman and Cheryl Hines, is based on Siegfried and Roy's big cats.