He died on Saturday afternoon at Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thompson was an inspiration to countless generations of magicians.
Thompson served as a consultant for the Penn & Teller show Fool Us on the CW network. On February 25, the iconic magician collapsed during the rehearsals in Rio and was subsequently rushed to the hospital. The announcement of his services are pending.
He was known for his magic acts in the ’70s and ’80s on the Las Vegas Strip with his wife, Pamela, as they performed as The Great Tomsoni and Company.
The Academy of Magical Arts has honored Thompson with the award for Best Stage Magician and its highest award, the Master’s Fellowship.
Thompson worked as a consultant for such acclaimed magicians as Siegfried & Roy, Criss Angel, David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Mat Franco, and David Blaine, among many others.
In 1976 he was named “Stage Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts, and in 1999, Thompson was awarded the prestigious Masters Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts.
More recently, in November of 2015, Lance Burton honored his mentor, Johnny Thompson, with the coveted “David Devant Award” on behalf of the Magic Circle. In 2016, he earned the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Nevada Entertainment Artists Hall of Fame award.
Read More: In June of 2015, Thompson chatted with Digital Journal about his illustrious career in the magic and entertainment business.
