Tom Mullica

Thomas Blaine Mullica (August 19, 1948 – February 18, 2016) was an American comedy magician, impressionist and actor who performed on television specials and appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, The World's Greatest Magic, Viva Variety and Penn & Teller's Sin City.

Mullica appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, where he performed his signature effect of the manipulation and vanishing of several cigarettes in his mouth.

He also performed at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and toured the United States and Canada with RED: A Performance Tribute, a Red Skelton tribute show which Mullica wrote and starred in as Skelton and his characters.

Personal life Mullica was born in Waupun, Wisconsin, on August 19, 1948. When he was five years old, he wanted to be a clown. On his seventh birthday, his mother bought him a "Sneaky Pete Magic Kit" for Christmas.

In 1966, Mullica graduated from Waupun High School, after which he enlisted in the US Army at age 18. He served three years in Korea and Germany. Once he had finished his military service he moved to Colon, Michigan, where he built illusions and demonstrated magic for Abbott's Magic Company.

Mullica then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended bartending school. In 1976, he opened his own nightclub called The Tom-Foolery Magic Bar Theater.

In 1991, he returned to the United States to continue his comedy magic career. He began writing RED (A Performance Tribute) in 1996, which he performed in theatres throughout the US and Canada.

In 2010, Mullica was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and underwent a successful stem cell transplant. In 2015 he announced he had been five years cancer-free.

In July 2013, Mullica helped dedicate the Red Skelton Museum & Education Center.

Death On February 15, 2016, Mullica was placed in an induced coma following complications stemming from a routine hernia operation, which caused him to have several strokes. He subsequently suffered from organ and liver failure. On February 18, it was decided to take Mullica off life support. He was 67 years of age.

Awards

Siegfried & Roy Golden Lion Award, Magic Desert Seminar (1984 in Las Vegas, United States)