Beloved TV mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, who regularly appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s, has died. He was 89.
His family confirmed the death in a statement on social media, writing, “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of The Amazing Kreskin, born George Kresge, at the age of 89. 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.”
In a follow-up post, the family wrote, “As Kreskin always said at the close of his shows, ‘This is not goodbye, but to be continued.’”
As Kreskin always said at the close of his shows, “This is not goodbye, but to be continued.”
— The Amazing Kreskin (@Kreskin) December 11, 2024
According to his manager, Ryan Galway, Kreskin died at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Born on January 12, 1935, in Montclair, New Jersey, Kreskin was inspired to become a mentalist by Lee Falk’s comic strip Mandrake the Magician, which features a crime-fighting stage magician. He made his first television appearance on The Steve Allen Show in 1964, performing magic tricks and illusions.
One of Kreskin’s most famous tricks was to find his own paycheck for his current performance after asking the audience to hide it somewhere while he was escorted off stage. If he couldn’t find the check, then he wouldn’t be paid for the performance.
The Amazing Kreskin on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; Dana Edelson / © NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Following his appearance on The Steve Allen Show, Kreskin became a television regular throughout the 1970s, featuring on the likes of The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee. Most notably, he appeared 88 times on The Tonight Show, and it was Johnny Carson who dubbed him “The Amazing Kreskin.”
He also hosted The Amazing World of Kreskin from 1972 to 1975, which aired on CTV in Canada and was distributed in syndication in the United States. An additional set of episodes were produced from 1975 to 1997, billed as The New Kreskin Show.
While Kreskin often made predictions, he outright denied being a “psychic,” explaining that his skills merely used the power of persuasion.
“I am not a psychic, an occultist or fortune teller. I am not a mind reader, medium or hypnotist. There is nothing supernatural about anything that I do,” he wrote in 1991’s Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin. “I am a scientist, a researcher in the field of suggestion and ‘extrasensory’ perceptions. I perform what I discover.”
Kreskin continued to pop up on TV throughout the 1980s and 1990s, making several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and on The Howard Stern Show. He returned to late-night in 2009 when he made three appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
He continued to perform in his later years, appearing regularly on WPIX in New York City and annually on both the Fox News Channel and CNN to give his New Year’s Day predictions for the coming year.