When I heard about Orson Bean’s death at the age of 91 last week after being struck by two cars in Los Angeles, I immediately thought of the wit who graced many a talk show and game show panel in my formative years. I distinctly remember his appearances on shows such as The Match Game and confusing him with Orson Welles when I wasn’t quite old enough for school. It was only in reading obituaries for the comic (such as this one in the Boston Globe by way of MSN and this one from The Washington Times) did I learn he began his career as a magician.
iTricks could not find any clips of Orson performing magic, so we instead offer CBS LA’s coverage of his career.
Sad news from Scotland: Roy Walton, magic inventor and owner of Tam Shepherd’s Trick Shop in Glasgow has passed away at the age of 87. You can read a bit about Roy’s life and career on the Glasgow Live website.
Finally, an article we found on the Toronto Star website looks at the career of George Hebert, who is retiring after performing as Joy the Magical Clown for the last six decades.
One of the original members of legendary comedy troupe Monty Python has passed away at the age 77. The above video is a tribute from The Guardian and you can read more about Jones’ life and career in The New York Times, Vanity Fair and The Guardian.
Texas magician Orlando Valdez, who performed as Valdino, was killed Thursday morning in a traffic accident. This coverage is from KRIS TV and the GoFundMe account to help cover funeral expenses can be found here.
Ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson passed away late last month. Perhaps best known today as the spokesman for Nestle, Jimmy performed with “partners” Danny O’Day and Farfel the Dog on his own show, Ed Sullivan and even as a game show host. This piece on Nelson and his career ran last week on CBS Sunday Morning.
Oklahoma City’s Max Krause, seen above in this Morning Brew appearance from a few years ago, was struck by a Oklahoma City Police vehicle while riding his bicycle last Wednesday and passed away shortly thereafter due to his injuries. Max was not only a performer but an owner of the venue Max’s Magic Theatre and Max’s Magic Shop.
