A magician who regularly performed at Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle was found dead on Friday in one of the private club’s rooms. Police determined his death was a suicide.
Daryl Easton, 61, was known as a “Magician’s Magician” who was widely lauded for his card tricks. According to CBS, he was found by one of the club’s employees, hanging in a showroom in only his underwear and with a bag over his head.
The club, along with the Academy of Magical Arts, acknowledged Easton’s death in statement on Facebook:
The magic community mourns the loss of one of our most beloved and talented performers and the AMA’s deepest regrets and heart-felt sympathy go out to Daryl’s family.
Daryl was a World Champion, first-place FISM Gold medal winning, close-up magician with over 40 years of experience in both performing and selling the finest magic in the world. Daryl performed as a headline act at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for seven years fine tuning his already encyclopedic knowledge of magic. Daryl has performed literally thousands of shows for audiences as diverse as the Witch Doctors on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu to the movers and shakers of the political world at the Presidential Ball in Washington, D.C.
Easton was scheduled to perform a show around the time his body was discovered.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255)
Update: A spokesperson for the Magic Castle said reports that Easton was found only in his underwear are erroneous.
