Doug Henning

Doug Henning (May 3, 1947 - February 7, 2000) was a Canadian illusionist and escape artist. He is credited with reviving the magic show as a form of mass entertainment in North America, beginning in the 1970s.

Furthermore, he changed the image of the stage magician when he rejected such stereotypical costume accessories as the tuxedo, top hat, thin moustache, goatee and short hair. He opted instead for long hair, a bushy moustache, and bright multicoloured casual clothes, which gave him a distinctively flamboyant image.

He performed his act in numerous TV specials as well as stage productions such as The Magic Show and Merlin.

Later, he abandoned his performance art in favour of studying transcendental meditation which, he claimed, enabled him to levitate. He also ran in the 1993 Canadian election as a candidate for the Natural Law Party of Canada, which proposed yogic flying as a solution to the problems of the nation. (As the party's most famous candidate, he was so prominently featured in their television ads that many voters mistakenly thought he was the party's leader. The party was in fact led by Dr. Neil Paterson.)

Henning died of liver cancer at the age of 52.

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