The body of famed magician and illusionist Daryl Easton was found at Magic Castle in Hollywood on Friday. Easton, 61, was scheduled to perform at the venue. When he didn’t appear on stage at the scheduled time, a search ensued, and he was found in a closet.
Magic Castle is a dinner theater where patrons go to enjoy an upscale meal while being thrilled with various magic shows. Management immediately closed for the rest of the evening while authorities investigated the scene. Authorities have not released exact details, but have determined that Easton took his own life.
No warnings that Easton was headed down this path
By most accounts Easton seemed happy and excited about his upcoming gig at the Hollywood hotspot. Just a week ago today he posted on his Facebook page, “Thinking of all our SoCal friends... stay safe in this storm! I'll be heading down that way myself tomorrow for a week at The Magic Castle.”
It would turn out to be his last post. He performed as scheduled all week delighting the audience of diehard magic fans. His recent posts concentrated on sharing tips, tricks and magic sets with his close to 17,000 followers.
Master magician and mentor
Saturday morning the Academy of Magic Arts hailed Easton as a magician at the top of his field. They released a statement mourning the news of his passing and mentioning some of his many accolades.
The Academy states that he was acknowledged all over the world and had performed for such various audiences as presidential ball attendees here in America, as well as witch doctors on the Vanuatu Island in the South Pacific. Easton spent over 40 years in the magic business and had even won a gold medal in elite magic competitions like the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques.
Twitter was flooded Saturday morning with messages of condolences from fans of Easton’s card tricks all over the world. Fellow magicians lauded not only his incredible skills, but his generosity in sharing his knowledge and teaching up-and-coming magicians. He was fondly remember as the "Magician's Magician".
