NEW YORK — George Joseph Kresge Jr., known to generations of TV viewers as the enchanting entertainer and mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, has died at the age of 89.
Kreskin’s friend and former highway manager, Ryan Galway, told the press that he died Tuesday at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey, where he spent much of his life. Galway did not provide any additional details.
Inspired by the crime-fighting cartoon 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 fully understand, his favorite mind tricks – whether it be correctly guessing a randomly chosen playing card, or, most famously, guessing where his paycheck was 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 appeared regularly on a talk show, one host was not amused by a Kreskin stunt. In 2002, he claimed that a UFO would appear over Las Vegas on the night of June 2, adding that he would donate $50,000 to charity if he was wrong. Hundreds of people gathered in vain in the desert. Kreskin acknowledged to radio personality Art Bell that his prediction was a hoax, a way to prove that the September 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.
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