The Amazing Kreskin, George Kresge Jr., dead at 89
George Joseph Kresge Jr. died at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}George Joseph Kresge Jr., famously known as The Amazing Kreskin, has died. He was 89.
Ryan Galway, Kreskin's friend and former road manager, said he died at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. The cause of death is unknown.
His death came a month before what would have been his 90th birthday.
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An announcement on his social media account shared that Christmas was Kreskin’s favorite time of year, as he loved having the house decorated with several Christmas trees and outdoor decorations.
George Joseph Kresge Jr. died at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. (Dario Cantatore/Getty Images)
"The highlight of Christmas for Kreskin was the annual Christmas parties at his house. Kreskin had so much joy playing the piano as everyone would sing [Christmas] carols," his Instagram post read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Kreskin would end the musical performance with Ava Maria his Mother's favorite song. Kreskin loved performing his show effects, every year new effects were performed for his guests."
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The most important thing for The Amazing Kreskin was performing for his fans.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It brought so much joy to his life," the statement added.
The New Jersey native was born in Montclair on Jan. 12, 1935. (Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
The New Jersey native was born in Montclair on Jan. 12, 1935. As he legally changed his name to The Amazing Kreskin, the American mentalist combined his name with famous magicians Harry Kellar and Harry Houdini.
In his 1991 book, "Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin," he detailed his talent.
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"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 penned in one of the 20 books he worked on.
Mentalist George Joseph Kresge Jr., known as "The Amazing Kreskin," has died. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
"I am a scientist, a researcher in the field of suggestion and ‘extrasensory’ perceptions. I perform what I discover."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
Known as the master of mind games, The Amazing Kreskin would perform his favorite mind tricks for his fans — whether correctly guessing a playing card chosen at random, or, most famously, divining where his paycheck had been planted among the audience.
In the 1970s, The Amazing Kreskin hosted his own show, as he gave live performances and wrote several books, including "Mental Power is Real."
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Mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, left, has a laugh during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on May 25, 2009. (Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
For five years, from 1970 to 1975, he hosted "The Amazing World of Kreskin," which aired on CTV in Canada and was syndicated in the United States.
"We investigate man’s greatest enigma, the mystery of the human mind," he said on his show.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Although he was a talk show regular, one host was not 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 Sept. 11 terrorist attacks the year before had made people susceptible to manipulation. Bell called the ruse "lame, lame, lame" and banned him from his show.
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Inspired by the crime-fighting comic book character Mandrake the Magician, The Amazing Kreskin launched his television career in the 1960s and remained popular for decades. (Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
In 2018, he claimed to have proved that hypnosis is a joke.
"I've dedicated my life to showing hypnosis does not exist," Kreskin said during an interview at the time. "There's no such thing. The person responding to suggestion has the brainwave pattern of a person totally wide awake."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other books that Kreskin wrote included 2012’s "Conversations with Kreskin." In his novel, it included a foreword penned by late Fox News founder Roger Ailes, who booked The Amazing Kreskin as a guest on the "Mike Douglas Show" in the 1960s.
Kreskin was not married and did not have children.
The Amazing Kreskin was known to say at the end of all his shows, "This is not goodbye, but to be continued."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.