One of late night television’s most familiar guests has passed away. The mentalist known as The Amazing Kreskin died yesterday in New Jersey at 89 years old.
The mentalist, who noted he did not hold psychic or supernatural abilities, relied on the power of suggestion and perception to read others’ thoughts. One of his regular feats involved letting audiences hide his appearance fee check, vowing to them that he’d only be paid if he could locate the check. According to the New York Post, he only missed the check a dozen times out of the thousands of attempts he made.
Kreskin made hundreds of appearances on talk and variety shows over the years, including The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Over his 88 visits to Carson’s program, the Tonight Show host bestowed the “Amazing” qualifier to Kreskin’s name. Kreskin, who was born George Joseph Kresge Jr., then legally changed his name to The Amazing Kreskin.
Some, including Kreskin himself, believed Johnny Carson based his own Carnac the Magnificent character on the mentalist. According to Kreskin, an appearance on The Steve Allen Show in which he tripped on stage after being blinded by studio lights inspired Carson’s Carnac, who always stumbled to his desk.
While the 1970s were Kreskin’s heyday on the talk show circuit, he continued to guest on programs well beyond that. He made eight appearances on Late Night with David Letterman from 1990-1993, and visited Late Night with Jimmy Fallon five times between 2009-2012—including during the show’s first month on the air.
“It comes with heavy heart that we announce the passing of The Amazing Kreskin,” Kreskin’s family said in a social media announcement. “As Kreskin would say at the end of every show. ‘This is not goodbye, but to be continued’.”
