Entertainer and mentalist The Amazing Kreskin has died at the age of 89

The Amazing Kreskin, a mentalist and entertainer who captivated generations of television viewers, has died aged 89.

Kreskin’s friend and former road manager Ryan Galway told news outlets that Kreskin – born George Joseph Kresge Jr. – died Tuesday at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey

Galway didn’t provide any further details but wrote in a post on LinkedIn that he was “beyond heartbroken.”

“I know you know what I’m still thinking,” he wrote.

Galway said Kreskin was known for his “extraordinary mind-reading skills and captivating performances” as well as his “uncanny” ability to predict complex events, including multiple Super Bowl outcomes and presidential election results.

VIEW | The Amazing Kreskin on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos:

Kreskin already knows whether you’ll watch this or not.

A post announcing Kreskin’s death on his official Words: “As Kreskin always said at the end of his shows: ‘This is not a farewell, but a continuation.'”

In a later post, the go.

Kreskin began his television career in the 1960s and remained popular for decades. He has made regular guest appearances on talk shows hosted by everyone from Merv Griffin to Johnny Carson to Jimmy Fallon.

TV columnist and podcaster Bill Brioux says Kreskin was the perfect late-night TV guest and never failed to amaze audiences.

“They were on the edge of their seats, leaning forward, and he just delivered every time,” he said, describing Kreskin as a “good-natured guy” who looked like he could be your neighbor.

“He didn’t wear a crazy suit or anything, he was just himself. He just seemed very loving and humble, not threatening – but he knew the future.”

He spent much of his early career in Canada. His show The amazing world of Kreskin aired across Canada in the 1970s and was syndicated in the United States.

Brioux remembers Canadian comedian Jim Carrey impersonating Kreskin at the start of his stand-up comedy career, emphasizing how well-known the mentalist was across the country.

Kreskin’s talents are unmatched: mentalist

Daniel Paulin, a Canadian mentalist, magician and escape artist who performs as Danny Zzzz, remembers being inspired as a child watching Kreskin on television.

“Growing up in the 70s, we were glued to the television. We were all lying on our stomachs, fists under our chins, staring at the TV and couldn’t believe what was happening,” he said.

Paulin still has his old Kreskin’s ESP board game from his childhood. It was a game developed in the 1960s that was designed to help players test and develop their own extrasensory perception abilities.

Paulin said he always appreciated how Kreskin interacted with the audience and how he described himself as an “entertainer” rather than implying that he had talents that were unattainable to other people.

Kreskin often emphasized that he was not a clairvoyant, a mind reader, or a hypnotist, but that he used body language cues and the power of suggestion to guide people’s actions.

“When we look at all the greats coming out now, I think we can all agree that no one has done it or ever will do it like Kreskin,” Paulin said.

VIEW | Kreskin’s top 5 predictions:

Top 5 Kreskin Predictions

The amazing Kreskin with his ten predictions for 2009.

Some of Kreskin’s favorite tricks included correctly guessing a randomly selected playing card or, most famously, guessing where his paycheck was hidden in the audience.

Sometimes the checks were found in absurd places, like the stuffing of a turkey or a man’s mouth. If he couldn’t find his paycheck, he said he would forego paying for the show.

Kreskin began offering $1 million to anyone who could prove they were using secret assistants or hidden devices.

Mentalist Ryan Edwards, who appeared on stage at Kreskin’s performance in Ontario more than a decade ago, called the late entertainer a legend.

“He was one of the giants,” Edwards said.

Kreskin also gave live performances and wrote numerous books, including Secrets of the amazing Kreskin And Mental strength is real.

Kreskin’s performance was about “capturing the spirit”

“I use the term mentalist because my work is about how people think,” he said in a 2009 radio interview with CBC. “It’s not a magical act. The essence of my work is to capture the spirit.”

Although he regularly appeared on talk shows, American radio host Art Bell banned the artist from his show after a UFO stunt in 2002.

Kreskin claimed that a UFO would appear over Las Vegas on the night of June 2, adding that if he was wrong he would donate $50,000 to charity. Hundreds of people gathered in the desert in vain.

Kreskin said he persuaded the crowd outside to highlight how vulnerable people are to manipulation after events since Sept. 11, 2001, made it clear to him that mind control could be used for nefarious purposes on the masses.

“I planted the seed,” he told The Las Vegas Sun. “Imagine how a human being, especially today with mass communications, would get people to talk about it and spread the word. I’m ready to appear on national television to move a million people to action in 90 seconds. God forbid someone does that” for half an hour or an hour.

Kreskin said in a video for the online forum Big Think that under the right conditions and with concentration, it is still possible to perceive other people’s thoughts.

But in recent years it has become more difficult as people become enamored with modern technology, he said, lamenting that people are distracted by their cell phones even when they are with other people.

“We must listen to the silence and not be afraid of the silence,” he said. “And there are people who have reached a point where they are afraid of silence.”

In a post on Kreskin’s Facebook page, he shared that Christmas is his favorite time of year and that he loves decorating his house and hosting parties.

In 2020, Kreskin spoke to CBC about his tradition of sending 2,000 Christmas cards each year, including to reporters who interviewed him years ago.

When asked why he continued to send the cards, he told former CBC producer Kent Hoffman, “Because I love the holidays and the people who have touched my life in different ways, like you.” I don’t forget the people. I really don’t.”