The death of George Joseph Kresge Jr., also known as The Amazing Kreskin, has shocked the entertainment world. He died on Tuesday, aged 89, at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. Kreskin was a well-known mentalist who entertained audiences for decades and became a pop culture figure.
Throughout his career, Kreskin has stressed his approach to entertainment. “I’m not a psychic, occultist, or fortune teller,” he frequently declared. “I am a scientist, a researcher in suggestion and ‘extrasensory’ perceptions.” His defining feat was locating his concealed performance check, which became legendary. Kreskin claimed he would not get paid if he couldn’t find it, and he found checks in unexpected locations like a turkey, a fire hose, and even inside a volunteer’s mouth.
Kreskin was a famous face on American television, having appeared 88 times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Carson dubbed him “The Amazing,” which became synonymous with Kreskin. His television presence was vast, with regular appearances on shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, and Howard Stern.
Beyond television, Kreskin wrote around 20 books, including Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin and Conversations with Kreskin. In 1966, he released a board game called Kreskin’s ESP, which allowed players to test their psychic abilities with a “Mystery Pendulum.”
Kreskin was born on January 12, 1935, in Montclair, New Jersey, and his love of mentalism began as a child. He began investigating his powers in third grade after being inspired by a comic book portraying Mandrake the Magician. When he discovered a penny hidden by his sibling, he considered it a watershed event in his trip.
From 1970 until 1975, Kreskin hosted The Amazing World of Kreskin, a show on the secrets of the human mind. He was known for his predictions, garnering the nickname “America’s flesh and blood Magic 8-Ball” from Newsweek for his annual New Year’s Day forecasts.
Kreskin’s impact spread to popular culture, spawning characters in films like The Great Buck Howard and inspiring comedians like Zach Galifianakis. Despite his theatrical manner, he claimed to rely on “the power of positive thinking” rather than supernatural skills.
Kreskin remained a contentious character in his later years, particularly when it came to hypnosis, which he said did not exist. “Nobody has ever gotten into a hypnotic trance,” he said in 2018.
Following his death, his family released an emotional statement: “Performing for all of you brought immense joy to his life, and it was something he deeply cherished.”
