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
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:
...and this guy from Pittsburgh:
Many shared stories of closeup encounters with Jay:
And of course some could not help but invoke the language of magic to mourn his passing: