MY ACCOUNT
Muhammed Ali Had Two Personal Magicians
Category: Blog Posted by: C. DENNIS SCHICK
Muhammad Ali is considered by many people to be the greatest professional boxer of all time. He also became one of the most recognized and best known people in the entire world. When Ali died June 3, the outpouring of love, affection, and respect was universal. In many ways, his entire life was an open book, and nearly everyone knew almost everything about him. Yet, an interesting sidelight about Ali which was unknown to most people is that he loved magic -- and had two personal magicians. How and when did we find this out?
When the magician who went by Majestik Magnificent died in February, the articles covering his death reported that he had been Muhammad Ali’s “personal magician.” This was news to many people who probably should have known. It took some time and research but I found out that Majestik Magnificent was born Harry Lloyd Wright in Helena, Arkansas, that he became a magician in Las Vegas, and met Ali, who later introduced him to Michael Jackson. He told people he was the personal magician for both of them at one time. He toured with them as part of their entourages and even lived with Michael Jackson’s parents for a period. I put this and more in Magnificent’s obituary in the Broken Wand of the May issue of The Linking Ring.
Now comes an article in Vox.com telling the story of a second personal magician of Muhammad Ali -- Terry LaSorda. The article says that LaSorda was twenty-three years old in 1978, just out of college, and doing magic in a mall in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. A man walked up to him and said that Muhammad wanted to see some of Terry’s card tricks, and gave him $300. To make a long story shorter, Terry followed up, met Ali, and they hit it off. Ali asked Terry how much he was making, then offered to double it if he would come work for him. Ali hired Terry to be on his staff and to travel with him, teaching Ali magic and doing magic for him whenever Ali wanted.
But the life of glitz and glamour didn’t “take” for Terry, so less than two years after he started working as Ali’s personal magician, Terry walked away. He went back home to Pennsylvania to resume a normal life. Now sixty-one, Terry has lots of memories and mementoes, including autographed photos with, and of Ali.
So that’s a little look behind-the-scenes of the Rich and Famous. Like magic? Hire your own personal magician. Muhammad Ali had two (that we know of, so far).
Read the obituary of Majestik Magnificent in the May issue of The Linking Ring. Go to www.vox.com to read Melissa Bell’s article (with photos) about Terry LaSorta.
