The Amazing Kreskin, mentalist and regular 'Tonight Show' guest, dies at 89

Corrections & clarifications: A previous version of this report gave an incorrect full name for The Amazing Kreskin.

George Kresge Jr., better known by his stage name The Amazing Kreskin, has died. He was 89.

His former rep, Augustine Covert, confirmed his death in an email to USA TODAY Wednesday. The Hollywood Reporter and New York Times report the actor and mentalist died Tuesday at his home in New Jersey. He would have turned 90 next month.

The entertainer grew to prominence in the 1970s by demonstrating his intuitive ability dozens of times on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and in live performances.

"What Kreskin said at the end of every show was 'Let's not say goodbye, let's just say to be continued,'" his former road manager, Ryan Galway, told The Morristown Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network.

His television show "The Amazing World of Kreskin" aired from 1972 to 1975 in Canada and in syndication in the United States. Kreskin also appeared on "Late Night with David Letterman," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and the "Howard Stern Show" through the years, and he also made annual appearances on CNN to make predictions about the New Year.

Kreskin was especially clear that his talent could not be attributed to psychic ability, but to suggestion and "'extrasensory' perceptions," he wrote in his 1991 book "Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin." One of his most well-known acts was finding the check for his live performances in whatever venue he was in, but if he could not find it, he didn't get paid that night. According to Kreskin, he lost less than a dozen times.

At his peak, Kreskin performed more than 300 times a year, Galway said.

"He was one of the sweetest guys on the planet," Galway told The Record. "There were really two sides to him. One was the Amazing Kreskin, and it was all about business. And the other one was just kindness. I loved my time with him, just hearing the stories. He lived just a phenomenal life."

Contributing: William Westhoven, Morristown Daily Record

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kreskin dead: Mentalist and live performer dies at 89