Famed Mentalist and Phenomenon, Kreskin, Passes Away at 89
Legendary mind-reader and entertainer "The Amazing Kreskin" (real name George Kresge Jr.), popularly known as "Kreskin," has passed away at the age of 89. "With a heavy heart, we announce the demise of The Amazing Kreskin, previously George Kresge. His performances brought immense happiness to his life, and it was something he held dear. The family respectfully requests privacy during this challenging time," stated a message on X.
Born on January 12, 1935, in Montclair, New Jersey, George Kresge was influenced by Lee Falk's crime-solving comic strip Mandrake the Magician, whose technique was based on a rapid hypnotic method. Embracing his role as an entertainer, never chucking himself as a psychic, Kreskin thrived on suggestion, not the paranormal or supernatural, thus giving birth to the character of The Amazing Kreskin.
Running from 1972 to 1975, Kreskin's TV show, The Amazing World of Kreskin, aired across Canada and was syndicated in the US. Kreskin made predictions without claiming any paranormal or clairvoyant powers, and was a regular guest on numerous talk shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee, Late Night With David Letterman, and The Howard Stern Radio Show.
Kreskin also made appearances Off-Broadway and authored 20 books. Additionally, he conducted classes for law enforcement groups, focusing on psychological methods such as rekindling lost memories through relaxation techniques or detecting lies through body language and voice inflections.
As his shows concluded, Kreskin would always say, "This isn't goodbye, but...to be continued."
Kreskin, drawing inspiration from Lee Falk's comic strip character Mandrake the Magician, meticulously crafted his on-stage persona as The Amazing Kreskin, distinguishing himself as an entertainer, not a mentalist or psychic. Throughout his illustrious career, The Amazing Kreskin captivated audiences on his television show, "The Amazing World of Kreskin," as well as on popular talk shows such as "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Howard Stern Radio Show."
