UCLA confirms Roy is at medical center

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003 | 11:28 a.m.

Entertainer Roy Horn is in an upgraded condition at a Los Angeles hospital, Siegfried & Roy publicist David Kirvin said today.

UCLA Medical Center confirmed Wednesday that it is treating entertainer Roy Horn -- a day after denying that he was transferred there from University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

UCLA's Wednesday release indicated that the condition of Horn, who was bitten by a tiger during an Oct. 3 performance at The Mirage, "is serious but his vital signs are stable."

Kirvin said he believed Horn was upgraded from critical to serious condition by doctors at UMC before being transferred. UMC spokesman Dale Pugh did not return phone calls seeking comment and UCLA Medical Center officials would not say what condition Horn arrived in.

"He was brought to UCLA Medical Center for further evaluation and medical treatment -- and to continue his recovery," the release stated.

Roxanne Moster, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles hospital, on Tuesday had said that the critically injured 59-year-old magician was not at UCLA. But late Wednesday afternoon, she issued a press release confirming that Horn had been transferred there "on Monday, October 28."

Horn's manager, Bernie Yuman, had issued a statement on Tuesday that said on that day Horn had been transferred from Las Vegas' University Medical Center to "another medical facility."

UCLA Medical Center is noted for its treatment of patients who have suffered from both stroke and trauma, as Horn has.

Sun reporter

Christina Littlefield contributed to this story.