He called himself the “Freddy Kreuger of Comedy,” incorporating horror magic tricks into his Las Vegas act.
Then, during a performance in 2014, he told the audience that he had a year to live. They’re both going to make this movie no matter what, in Berman’s case, Szeles throws at him.” Mr. Szeles, who described himself as the “Freddy Krueger of comedy,” mixed comedy and horror in his routines. By the 1990s, he had gained a large following after appearing on Comedy Central. “I think he kind of lived through me.” “It’s very scary. I was sitting and waiting around, so I went back to work.” Michael Peters, a funeral arranger at Palm Cheyenne Mortuary in Las Vegas, said that Mr. Szeles’s hospice care report showed he had end-stage heart failure. He said he had decided to retire and put his “affairs in order.” “I waited another year, and then it was another year. “It’s not a joke,” he said, then he began crying. In one act, in the 1990s, he told harmless vaudevillian jokes, like one in which he complained about a mole on his neck; he then turned his back to the audience to reveal a stuffed rodent.
John Edward Szeles, the standup comic and magician who delighted in shocking audiences for decades as "The Amazing Johnathan," died Tuesday after a long ...
I know you all love him so much and everyone wants to say goodbye.” Thank you for all the well wishes, but as the news spreads it’s getting overwhelming and I’m going to have to take a step back. “The last thing I said to him was, ‘I love you, honey, I’ll be with you when you get up from your nap,’ ” Synn, 47, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We were feeding him oranges and strawberries. “He has beaten the odds for so long. The self-described “Freddy Krueger of comedy” was 63. “The greatest time of my life was spent here.
The Amazing Johnathan, whose real name is Johnathan Edward Szeles, is reported to have died in his Las Vegas home on the evening of Tuesday, February 22. At 63, ...
The documentary The Amazing Johnathan Documentary, which wasreleased in 2019, is currently available to stream onHulu (opens in new tab) for those who need or want a reminder of what made him such an endlessly watchable person on or off the stage. Nick is a Cajun Country native, and is often asked why he doesn't sound like that's the case. While the world of magic isn't always tied to humor, with many keeping things serious to maintain the mysterious edge, entertainers such as The Amazing Johnathan have crossed those genres for decades and amassed millions of fans in the process. At 63, he had suffered a variety of health issues for years, and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy back in 2009. It was an emotional point in the magician's life, but one that he ended up proving completely wrong, as he went on to enjoy another seven or so career-broadening years. Born on September 9, 1958, the Detroit-raised John Szeles saw his career blossom after moving to San Francisco to perform street magic.
The Freddy Kruger Of Magic” was a revolutionary showman, known for deconstructing the rules of sleight of hand and stagecraft.
In 2019's The Amazing Johnathan Documentary, director and friend Ben Berman attempted to get to the truth of Szeles’ condition, peeling away layers of artifice to reveal even more questions. The 2010s saw The Amazing Johnathan attempt to restart his career. The set ended with young Szeles locked in the trunk of a car and a chorus of boos. Throughout the 2000s, The Amazing Johnathan made a home in Las Vegas, selling out rooms up and down the strip. In the 1980s, he toured colleges and comedy clubs, establishing himself as one of magic’s most original acts. Born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 9, 1958, he was the youngest of three children.
The Amazing Johnathan, the magician and comedian who was a longtime fixture on late-night television and the Las Vegas strip, died Tuesday, Feb.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, because I’ve had the best most incredible life that you could have,” the Amazing Johnathan said after tearfully revealing his diagnosis onstage in 2014. “I can’t do shows anymore because my legs lock up and my hands lock up, and that’s kind of shitty for a magician.” I’ve made millions of dollars, I have two beautiful houses, and…,” he said, with a long pause, “everything came crashing down when I was told I had a year to live.” While the audience laughs awkwardly, he chastises them that it’s not a joke. But for all Szeles’ gore humor — he liked to call himself the “Freddy Krueger of Comedy” — the Amazing Johnathan’s most shocking moment came onstage in 2014, when he revealed to an audience in Las Vegas that he had just one year left to live. In 1991, he hosted the series Ruckus, a Beat the Clock-type game show, while continuing to do standup and cement his reputation not just as a comic but as a magician. “The last thing I said to him was, ‘I love you, honey, I’ll be with you when you get up from your nap,’ ” Synn said.
The 2019 film The Amazing Johnathan Documentary detailed Johnathan's performing comeback amid his struggles with addiction and his heart condition. The documentary also explored the suspicions of some who speculated that he was faking his illness, ...
"I had a lot of fun hanging out and writing with him (it was a blurry line between the two) as a young man. "The Amazing Johnathan kept us all on the edge of our seats in performance and for the last several years in life as he seemed to be perpetually cheating imminent death," comedy producer Dan Pasternak tweeted. "What a powerhouse of a performer. "He will be missed but remembered fondly." "Give it up one more time for the Amazing Johnathan," comedian Dave Attell tweeted alongside a video clip of Johnathan performing at the 1995 Just For Laughs festival. "He was creative and innovative. Synn said that Johnathan's health had been bad for eight years and "really bad" for the past three years. "We say farewell to a giant in the field. "Sad to lose my friend The Amazing Johnathan today, absolutely one of the funniest guys in the world," Las Vegas comedy magician Mac King tweeted. They have taken him away now and I have his ring on my thumb." He will be missed and all our hearts are with @SiaSynn. You know, it's not like we didn't have warning, but it's still so so sad." I never thought I would see the day when I woke up and he was gone.