George Kresge Jr. death: The Amazing Kreskin dies aged 89
George Joseph Kresge Jr., who was known to generations of TV watchers as the mesmerising entertainer and mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, has died at age 89.
Kreskin’s friend and former road manager, Ryan Galway, told news outlets that he died on Tuesday at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey, where he spent much of his life. Galway did not provide additional details.
His death was announced in a message to his followers on his social media.
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“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of The Amazing Kreskin, born George Kresge, at the age of 89,” the post on X (formerly Twitter) began.
“Performing for all of you brought immense joy to his life, and it was something he deeply cherished. The family kindly asks for privacy during this difficult time.”
“As Kreskin always said at the closing of his shows, “This is not goodbye, but…to be continued,” a follow-up post read.
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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.
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Fans would welcome, if not entirely figure out, his favourite 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.
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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 September 11 terrorist attacks the year before had made people susceptible to manipulation.
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Bell called the ruse “lame, lame, lame” and banned him from his show.
In 2008, Kreskin’s brief former road manager Sean McGinly wrote and directed the film The Great Buck Howard about his experience working for the mentalist.
Kreskin attended the screening of the film, starring Tom Hanks and Emily Blunt, in 2009.
Kreskin was not married and did not have any children.
Tributes from fans started to flow in on social media.
“May his memory be a blessing. I seen him a few times in my youth. Definitely Amazing,” one person commented beneath his death announcement post.
“The Amazing Kreskin was so entertaining, intelligent, and a genuinely nice person which shone through,” another said.
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