Master magician, actor and author Ricky Jay has died, according to multiple reports. He was 72.
Jay's manager, Winston Simone, told The Hollywood Reporter he died Saturday in Los Angeles of natural causes.
“He was one of a kind,” Simone said. “We will never see the likes of him again.”
Jay was born in Brooklyn and got his first introduction to magic from his grandfather, Variety reported. He was called "perhaps the most gifted sleight-of-hand artist alive" in a 1993 profile for The New Yorker.
“The breadth of his knowledge and appreciation for magic and the allied arts was truly remarkable,” actor and fellow magician Neil Patrick Harris wrote Saturday on Twitter. “Such sad news, such a profound loss.”
Jay appeared in several films over the course of his career, including “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “Tomorrow Never Dies.” He also appeared in David Mamet’s films “House of Games,” “Homicide,” “Things Change,” “Spanish Prisoner,” “State and Main” and “Heist.”
He also appeared in TV shows, including "The X-Files," "Deadwood" and "The Unit."
Together with Michael Weber, Jay started Deceptive Practices, a consulting company that provided expertise for projects on film and Broadway.
“I am so sorry to share that my remarkable friend, teacher, collaborator and co-conspirator is gone,” Weber wrote Saturday on Twitter.
Jay authored several books on magic and entertainment. He also wrote and hosted television specials for CBS, HBO and the BBC.
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