Welcome to Top10Archive! Come one, come all to the most magical Archive on YouTube! We
have tricks that will blow your mind, illusions that will leave you breathless, and impossible
feats of reality! Regardless of your beliefs on the matter, as evidenced with these ten
tragic stories, not everything about magic is fake. For these former underlings of the
art, their tricks are their final legacies. The magicians on this list all died in the
middle of their tricks, but an honorable mention goes out to master of illusions, Harry Houdini,
who died off stage. 10. P. C. Sorcar
It’s not always the trick itself that takes the life of its performer. Magician P. C.
Sorcar was successful in the Asian circuit, and on January 6th, 1971, he was performing
his normal show of wonders and amazement. During the show at Ashaikawa, Hokkaido in
Japan, something terrible happened. Sorcar suffered a heart attack on stage and died
suddenly. Sorcar was known for stepping outside of the magician’s box, even going so far
as to create his own illusions known as Ind-Dra-Jal. The legend of the great magician was lived
on by his sons, P. C. Sorcar, Jr. and P. C. Sorcar, Young.
9. Jeff Rayburn Hopper Popular in the magic circuit is the “escape”
trick. Some put themselves in minimal danger, simply wanting to show off their ability to
escape from a straight jacket or handcuffs. Others take the trick to a whole new level,
risking their lives for the sake of the act. Jay Rayburn Hopper was one such artist, who
attempted to escape from handcuffs and chains while sinking to the bottom of Winona Lake
in Indiana. The magician was unable to complete his trick and, on July 7th, 1984, drowned,
turning his career into a legacy. 8. Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper was a character, mixing his love for magic and prop humor in an act that audiences
loved for 16 years. During one live, televised performance on April 15th, 1984, things were
going wonderfully. Cooper engaged the audience as he normally did and joke and tricks were
landing left and right. Suddenly, amidst his performance, he collapsed to the floor, gasping
for air. The audience, unaware of the reality of the situation, laughed. The sad truth was
that Cooper was suffering a heart attack and was brought backstage to allow the show to
continue. By the second commercial break, Cooper had already passed away.
7. Janaka Basnayake At some point, magic became less about cheesy
parlor tricks and more about accomplishing the impossible. For Sri Lanka resident and
fairly unknown escape artist and magician Janaka Basnayake, his magic was to defy logic
and beat David Blaine’s record of being buried alive for six days. He intended to
do so without any of Blaine’s provisions or, for that matter, any means of sustaining
his body’s need for air, food, or water. After 7 1/2 hours of being buried 3 meters
or 10 feet below ground, Janaka was dug up and pronounced dead.
6. Royden Joseph Gilbert Raison de la Genesta At the age of 52, Gilbert Genesta took his
act to a vaudeville theater in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Wizard of Wonders planned to
perform his most notable trick, the milk can escape trick. What he wasn’t aware of at
the time was that, during transportation, the can he was to escape from had been dented.
When it comes to death defying tricks such as this, the slightest imperfection can mean
death – and in Gelbert’s case, it most certainly did. During the trick, the magician
was unable to open the dented can as needed to escape, leading to his drowning.
5. John Miller Known to the world of magic as Balabrega,
Miller had just taken his act to Brazil to show off his prowess as a magician, and it
was there that he learned the volatility of the craft. While attempting the “The Moth
and the Flame” illusion, which he had purchased from Harry Rouclere, Miller’s quickly went
south. The trick requires the use of flammable gas-bags for the explosive finale, but before
the trick could be completed, one bag exploded. Miller succumbed to his injuries on-stage
alongside his assistant, Lew Bartlett. 4. The Black Wizard
When you’re aiming to perform the bullet catch trick, everything must be perfect. Like
Madame DeLinsky, who died 2 days after her failed attempt at the trick in 1820, The Black
Wizard of the West, was not as careful as he could have been, either. For instance,
he may have wanted to ensure the person firing the gun, his wife, didn’t want him dead.
When the pair performed the trick in 1922, Instead of firing a wax bullet as she was
meant to, the Wizard’s wife swapped in a real bullet and shot her husband dead in front
of their audience. 3. Joseph W Burrus
It’s not uncommon for people to try and mimic former greats of their field. Take,
for instance, Joseph Burrus and his attempt to become “the next Houdini.” For the
escape trick that would put him above Houdini, Burrus had himself buried under 3 feet or
1 meter of dirt and 6,000 pounds or 2,700 kilograms of concrete. What Burrus did not
account for was the weight limit on the plastic coffin he was buried in. Under the extreme
pressure, the coffin collapsed and the magician was crushed to death exactly 64 Halloweens
after the death of his idol, Harry Houdini. 2. Chung Ling Soo
American magician and performer William Ellsworth Robinson had the world fooled into thinking
he was really Chung Ling Soo, never once speaking fluent English to ensure his character remained
authentic. In Europe, he became one of the highest paid vaudeville performers and was
able to keep his act under wraps until March 23rd, 1918. While performing at the Wood Green
Empire in London, William Robinson emerged from his Chung Ling Soo character after a
malfunction during a bullet catch trick. “Oh my God. Something’s happened. Lower the
curtain,” Chung spoke in perfect English before succumbing to wounds from the tragic
accident. According to experts, Soo never cleaned out the gun properly, which lead to
his accidental death on stage. 1. Charles Rowan
Charles Rowan, otherwise known as Karr the Mysterious, was known for his ability to escape
from strait-jackets. During a performance in 1930, Karr put on his typical straigh-jacket
and signaled an automobile to speed towards him. The vehicle had reached a speed of 45
mph or 72 kph while Karr struggled with his strait-jacket. In a tragic twist and unintended
ending, Karr was struck by the vehicle. Some reports claim his leg was severed as the car
passed over him, but all are in agreement that Karr definitely died during what would
be his final performance.