Clem H. Fortner's was a life of gun battles, high-speed chases and illusion.

He spent 26 years as an Atlanta police officer, another 20 as an investigator for the public defender's office, and a lifetime entertaining with magic shows, ventriloquist acts and mentalism, or making predictions.

Family photo (ENLARGE)

Clem Fortner, the Merry Magician, levitates his daughter, Judy, in this 1948 photo.

Mr. Fortner, an imposing 6 feet, 5 inches tall and wearing a size 14 shoe, was known in the law enforcement and magic worlds as "Foots" and performed as "Fortner the Merry Magician."

He nurtured the careers of two performers, ventriloquist Mark Merchant of Snellville and magician David Ginn of Loganville.

"He was one of my early magical mentors," said Mr. Ginn, who travels the world performing and lecturing on magic.

The memorial service for Mr. Fortner, 90, of McDonough, will be 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph's Episcopal Church. He died of pulmonary complications March 14. The body was cremated. Cremation Society of the South is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Fortner was as unrevealing about his job as he was about his magic tricks.

"One morning, he came in from the night shift and ate breakfast like everything was normal," said his son Tom Fortner of Bremen. "Then I read in the paper where he had been in a 105 mile-per-hour chase and a gun battle. He didn't mention a thing about it. It was just another day at the office for him."

From the 1930s, Mr. Fortner developed about 200 moves and added ventriloquism to the act he performed at social events, at school safety shows, in front of church and Scout groups, and even at Atlanta's old 81 Theater on Decatur Street. He practiced wherever he could grab a few minutes, his son said.

Mr. Ginn was 14 when he saw Mr. Fortner perform at a Halloween carnival.

"I probably showed him some kid trick, some coin trick," he said.

Mr. Fortner invited him to the Georgia Magic Club, critiqued his tricks, bought his books and sold him props.

"I have a magic side table he sold me at 14, and I've used it in thousands of shows," Mr. Ginn said.

Fifty years later, Mr. Fortner tracked down the companion to that table and gave it to Mr. Ginn.

Mr. Merchant was 8 and had a slight interest in ventriloquism when he first saw Mr. Fortner perform at a Cub Scout meeting. Through his dummy, Mr. Fortner dedicated a song to the young Scout.

"That is what got the hook in me," Mr. Merchant said.

As children and into adulthood, the younger performers visited Mr. Fortner at his house, talked magic and checked out his props.

"I thought he was an excellent comedy magician," Mr. Ginn said.

Mr. Fortner's was a funny, clever and original act, Mr. Merchant said, and he was a gentleman among performers.

At 90, Mr. Fortner stood supported by his walker and performed on camera with the ventriloquist dummy he was passing on to Mr. Merchant. He also gave him his special twist on the common trick of borrowing a bill and making it reappear inside a whole lemon.

"Clem had a very unique way of doing it. It was boggling even to those who know magic," Mr. Merchant said.

"Two years ago, he watched a CD of my act and called me to come to lunch," Mr. Merchant said. "He gave me a joke he thought would work well in my act. When I do it on cruise ships, it cracks them up."

Survivors other than his son include a daughter, Judy Carole Stone of McDonough; four grandchildren; and a great-grandson.