The Amazing Kreskin’s social media profiles have been updated with the news of his passing at 89. He died at his New Jersey home on Tuesday, despite preparing for his beloved festive holiday by decorating the house with Christmas trees and ornaments like he did in previous years.
The Amazing Kreskin’s manager, Ryan Galway, confirmed the news but did not reveal the cause of his death. His career as an entertaining mentalist spanned over six decades after he was inspired by Lee Falk’s Mandrake The Magician comic strip.
The Amazing Kreskin got his name on Johnny Carson’s show
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The Amazing Kreskin, whose real name was George Kresge, forged a unique career path as a mentalist. However, he marketed himself as an entertainer rather than a supernaturally powerful psychic. He appeared on many TV shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, on which the host gave him his popular moniker.
He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson up to 88 times, even less than his frequency on shows like The Mike Douglas Show and The Merv Griffin Show. He was also a regular on Late Night with David Letterman, The Howard Stern Show, and Live with Kelly and Mark in the late 2000s.
What did The Amazing Kreskin do?
The Amazing Kreskin was good at making predictions—not from special paranormal abilities—and would even ask the audience to hide his paycheck for ongoing performances so he would try to find it. If he failed to figure out the check, which happened up to ten times, he would forfeit his wages for the gig.
He claimed that Johnny Carson based his Carnac the Magnificent character on him due to their similarities, but many thought Carson simply got the idea from an old Steve Allen sketch. Kreskin performed actively throughout his adult years up until the spring season of this year.
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