The Amazing Kreskin, the beloved mentalist who found fame on television, died Tuesday at 89.
“The only thing the Amazing Kreskin cared about was performing for all of you, it brought so much joy to his life,” his family said on social media. “The family asks you respect their privacy during this difficult time.
“As Kreskin would say at the end of every show. ‘This is not goodbye, but to be continued.'”
The Amazing Kreskin was a staple of late-night television. Startraksphoto.comHe was a frequent guest on “The Tonight Show” and was also a regular on “The Mike Douglas Show” and “The Merv Griffin Show.”
Kreskin, born George Kresge in Montclair, New Jersey, created his stage name by putting together the names of magicians Harry Kellar and Houdini.
Kreskin, who did not claim to be a psychic or a mind reader, would tell audience members their Social Security and license plate numbers and even the names of their home streets.
“Audiences of all ages and interests have found their way to me for generation to generation,” Kreskin said in 2015. “There’s no footlights between me and the audience, who are not there just to see the show. Subconsciously, they wanted to be a part of the show. They’re telling me what’s in their minds and I’m reading them.”
The Amazing Kreskin and Gilbert Gottfried during The Friars Club roast of Hugh Hefner. WireImageOne famous Kreskin routine was letting the audience hide his check at every show and promising to do the show for free if he couldn’t find it.
He failed only a dozen times over thousands of appearances, finding checks under the upper bridge inside a man’s mouth, inside a 20-foot fire hose rolled up behind a closed door at the back of the theater and inside the barrel of a gun being carried by a plainclothes detective.
Kreskin also offered $1 million to anyone who could prove he was using secret assistants or hidden electronic devices during his shows.
The Amazing Kreskin with a Kreskin’s ESP board game. Denver Post via Getty Images“People who come because they’ve seen me on television inherently know they’re not coming just to watch,” he told the NJ Herald in 2012. “I’ll be reading their thoughts, coming down into the audience and tuning in on what they’re thinking. The only people I ever saw go down into the audience were Al Jolson and stripteasers, so I guess I’m in good company.”
The showman mystified audiences up to 2024, when he switched to mainly hosting online seminars about his trade.
He didn’t have any plans to retire from show business.
“It’s going to be 10 days after I pass away,” Kreskin told CBS before his 80th birthday. “I have a tremendous passion for what I do.”
