R.I.P. Amazing Kreskin – Weird NJ
Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets
We were saddened by recent passing of our friend The Amazing Kreskin at the age of 89. A native of Montclair, Kreskin was born George Joseph Kresge, of January 12, 1935 and was a mentalist who became popular on television programs like the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in the 1970s. He always presented himself as an “entertainer,” never as a psychic, who operated on the power of suggestion, not the paranormal or supernatural.
Not all of Kreskin’s predictions turn out to be so amazing, though. Like the one he made 2002, when he prediction that there would be a mass UFO sighting over Las Vegas on June 6 between the hours of 9:45 PM and midnight that would be witnessed by thousands of people. He also said that if there were no sightings, he would donate $50,000 to a charity. Hundreds of people camped out that evening hoping to witness the event, yet no sighting occurred.
One prediction that Kreskin had made that we knew for sure would come true was that of his own passing. Kreskin himself seems pretty confident that this was a sure bet too, as he had invested in having his own tombstone carved in anticipation of the event years before it eventually came to pass. The stone is located in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover and bears the inscription, “Even now, I know what you’re thinking!”
Just a few plots away from Kreskin’s grave you’ll find the final resting place of another Montclair legend, baseball great Yogi Berra. Berra was known for his impromptu pithy comments, malapropisms, and seemingly unintentional witticisms, which would come to be known as “Yogi-isms,” one of the most famous examples of this being, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And now, for the Amazing Kreskin, it’s over. R.I.P.
The preceding article is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.
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