The Amazing Johnathan, the magician and comedian who rose to stardom in the 1980s and Nineties with his unique blend of tricks, gore and humor, has died at age 63.
With his mix of magic tricks, pranks, and gross-out humor, Szeles carved out a wholly unique lane for himself in the Eighties and Nineties. He was a frequent guest on, helmed several comedy specials, and was a major Vegas headliner for over a decade.
In 2007, Szeles was diagnosed with his heart condition, and while he was able to keep performing for several years after, he announced in 2014 that doctors told him he had just one year left to live. “My heart is failing — my wife would’ve said it failed long ago — but it is actually failing for real,” heannouncing his retirement. “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.
Szeles, however, lived well past that year and actually returned to performing in 2017. In 2019, he was the subject of a documentary, , directed by Ben Berman, which examined his career and illness — yet it also openly wondered whether Szeles had actually faked his terminal diagnosis., “The way Johnathan lived, I respect immensely. He lived on his own terms… He really was so many things. Creator, destroyer, charmer, fighter, fucking weirdo, next level artist, and of course a BRILLIANT COMEDIAN. He really made things, and broke them , and made more things.