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Kreskin's friend and former road manager, Ryan Galway, told The
Associated Press that he died Tuesday at his home in Caldwell,
New Jersey, where he spent much of his life. Galway said Kreskin
had not been feeling well in recent weeks but otherwise did not
provide a cause of death.
Inspired by the crime-fighting comic book character Mandrake the
Magician, Kreskin launched his television career in the 1960s
and remained popular for decades, making guest appearances on
talk shows hosted by everyone from Merv Griffin to Johnny Carson
to Jimmy Fallon.
Fans would welcome, if not entirely figure out, his favorite
mind tricks — whether correctly guessing a playing card chosen
at random, or, most famously, divining where his paycheck had
been planted among the audience. He also hosted his own show in
the 1970s, gave live performances and wrote numerous books,
including “Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin” and “Mental Power Is
Real.”
Although he was a talk show regular, one host wasn't amused by a
Kreskin stunt. In 2002, he claimed that a UFO would appear over
Las Vegas on the night of June 2, and added that he would donate
$50,000 to charity if he was wrong. Hundreds of people gathered
in the desert, in vain. Kreskin acknowledged to radio
personality Art Bell that his prediction was a hoax, a way of
proving that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks the year before had
made people susceptible to manipulation. Bell called the ruse
“lame, lame, lame” and banned him from his show.
Galway said that Kreskin continued to make live appearances well
into his 80s, and only stopped earlier this year after injuring
himself in a fall. Kreskin never married and left no immediate
survivors.
“His career was his life. That was his marriage,” Galway said.
“He was dedicated to his craft.”
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