Fans, Stars Mourn Magician Ricky Jay’s Final Disappearing Act
The sleight-of-hand master and “Boogie Nights” and “Deadwood” actor died at the age of 70.
Fred Prouser/REUTERS / Reuters
Ricky Jay—the master magician, actor and raconteur—died Saturday in Los Angeles at the age of 70.
“He was one of a kind. We will never see the likes of him again,” his manager, Winston Simone, told Variety.
Fans and friends took to social media to remember Jay, whose screen credits included roles in “Boogie Nights,” “House of Games,” “Tomorrow Never Dies,” and “Deadwood.”
They told stories of being inspired to get into magic by reading his books or watching his sleight of hand on television, recalled the mesmerizing spectacle of his live shows, and urged the uninitiated to read this seminal New Yorker profile of him.
The tributes came from luminaries like Neil Patrick Harris:
Master magician and historian Ricky Jay has passed away. The breadth of his knowledge and appreciation for magic and the allied arts was truly remarkable. Such sad news, such a profound loss. #RIP https://t.co/VRYRxhkQKr
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) November 25, 2018
...and this guy from Pittsburgh:
I have very few heroes. Ricky Jay was one of them. #RIPRickyJay pic.twitter.com/qzIXnuYKxq
— Twenty20 (@2020Proof) November 25, 2018
Many shared stories of closeup encounters with Jay:
Ricky Jay took my wallet once. It was a complete thrill. RIP.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) November 25, 2018
that he do a card trick.
— John Lurie (@lurie_john) November 25, 2018
Ricky Jay kept saying no.
The woman pushed and pushed.
So Ricky Jay took the deck of cards and threw them at the wine bottles.
Several cards ended up inside the unopened bottles of wine.
Then all the guests were so disturbed that they left the party.
— John Lurie (@lurie_john) November 25, 2018
How can you do better than Ricky Jay?
An anecdote about my favorite magician, Ricky Jay. In 2000, I noticed that https://t.co/UwCyVjAbnl was unregistered, so I registered it—and then spent years tracking down Ricky to give it to him. We later met onstage at his show and for dinner in 2007. RIP to an all-time great. pic.twitter.com/eW377NGvW2
— Michael Hartl 🦃 (@mhartl) November 25, 2018
I was blessed to have the legendary Ricky Jay as a consultant on Rogue Nation. An off-handed comment he made inspired the climax of the opera sequence. It’s safe to say it would not be the same scene without him.
— Christopher McQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie) November 25, 2018
He was the greatest of a vanishing breed.
And of course some could not help but invoke the language of magic to mourn his passing:
Nope, sorry.
— Joe Lynch (@TheJoeLynch) November 25, 2018
Ricky Jay doesn’t die.
He just...dissapears. #RIPRickyJay pic.twitter.com/tUDVWhvUNZ
Ricky Jay just stole My wallet.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) November 25, 2018
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