Abb Dickson - RIP

[Dustin Stinett]

There are reports on the internet that Abb Dickson has passed away.

[Scott Wells]

I received an email from Maria Ibanez at 2:32 p.m. CST that was short and to the point:

"It saddens me to report that we have lost another member of our magic family; Past International President of IBM, Abb Dickson. May he rest in peace."

I read Facebook posts from the past few days saying that he had refused treatment (having his leg amputated), was taken off dialysis, and was in a hospice facility. I also read where he had been swindled out of his money and a Go Fund Me account was going to be set up to solicit funds to bury him.

[Dustin Stinett]

Thank you for the sad verification.
Our condolences to his family and friends.

[Q. Kumber]

The first time I saw Abb was at the Hastings 1974 British Ring Convention when he worked the opening show with Karrell Fox with a hilarious and brilliantly timed 'pie in the face' routine.

We later met in the grocery store in Colon during the Abbott's 1980 get-together. I was with George Johnstone and Abb was wheeling around his shopping trolley and piling it with groceries. When he was't looking, George, a practical joker, put some extra items in the trolley.

I bumped into Abb a couple of days later and asked him about his shopping. He said he'd been surprised at some of the things he'd bought, as he didn't discover them until he got to where he was staying.

R.I.P. Abb. Thank you for the memories and the laughter.

[Gregory Schultz]

Very sad news that Abb is gone. I saw him perform many times over the years and he always made me laugh and he brought a lot of joy into my life. That is a rare talent. He always seemed so kind when I talked to him at conventions.

[brianarudolph]

Abb is another exceptional person I'll always remember from my earliest days in magic. I will never forget the genuine fun I could tell he was having when I would see him on stage, in the dealers area, and everywhere else at Abbott Get-Togethers.

My parents, who were not involved in magic (save for supporting me), used to bring me to the Get-Togethers and go fishing during the day. But I'd buy tickets for them to as many evening shows as I could every year since they liked watching performances. One year (late 70s or early 80s) they were luckily able to attend all four evening shows. While my parents didn't get the in-jokes that the magicians did, Abb made them laugh so hard, especially during the Foxie Follies, that all I had to do many years later was to mention Abb's name and they would immediately recall seeing him that year - and start laughing all over again.

Great magical memories.

[Bill Mullins]

Obit at SAM.

Includes a link to a long article about relationship between Abb and Orson Welles.

[Q. Kumber]

Fram Alan Watson's weekly eaine Magic New Zealand:

Message by Gary E Bartlett

Abner Pope Dickson, Jr.
1948-2016

Abb Dickson, 67 of Jonesboro, GA passed away after a long illness.
Dickson was well known as a magician, a comic, an illusionist, an actor,
a producer and most of all, a force of nature. He is known known for his
work on the films Malibu Express (1985), Picasso Trigger (1988) and The
Brass Ring (1975). For decades he was a familiar face at The Abbot's Get
Together in Colon, MI the Texas Association of Magicians (TAOM) and many
other conventions.

Soon he would build a friendship with some of the funniest magicians on
the planet including Duke Stern and Karrell Fox. He would often perform
with them in sketches that lampooned magicians at magic conventions
across the United States.

Born in Atlanta to Pope Dickson and Edith Donahoo Dickson. He and his
father owned Pope Dickson and Son funeral home; and his mother was the
personal secretary to President Roosevelt and Truman. Abb became
interested in the art of magic at the age of ten after seeing a school
show magician. He started doing comedy magic in his senior year in high
school and went full time professional in 1970 performing as a magician
at Six Flags Over Georgia.

In time he would tour the United States, Canada, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
with his own "Presto!" illusion show that included a crew of thirty. The
show toured from 1975 to 1986 and featured 39 large stage illusions,
including one that was traditionally known as "The Disembodied
Princess". Dickson had first heard of that particular trick after seeing
a photo of it being performed by Orson Welles (with his second wife,
Rita Hayworth, assisting) during a USO show in Hollywood in the '40s. In
time, it became one of Dickson's favorite illusions. This show would
lead to a lifetime friendship with Orson Welles and he would appear in 8
Welles films and as an actor or magician in 5 other films. To read more
about the friendship between Orson Welles and Abb Dickson.

Abb Dickson on the Cover of GENII MagazineAbb Dickson would be featured
on the cover of GENII Magazine in 1989 and the Genii in the corner was
given Abb's face. In 1997 Abb was featured on the cover of THE LINKING
RING when he became the International President of The International
Brotherhood of Magicians.

Dickson would later specialize in trade shows but he also created
special effects for several Star Wars films and the original Superman
franchise. He also created some of the exhibits in the World of
Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta. His broad life experience, understanding of
human nature and psychology coupled with his love of comedy and magical
creativity led to his demand as a consultant to many major corporations
for their advertising campaigns and product launches.

Abb had many associations with some of today's top magicians from David
Copperfield, Harry Blackstone, Lance Burton & Penn & Teller just to name
a few. He was also a memeber of the world famous Magic Castle. Which is
a private club in Hollywood, CA to magicians and celebrities. Abb was
the creative consultant on numerous television special and live productions.

Even then, Abb always found time to perform magic, often for children
that needed magic in their lives. Abb was a man with one of the biggest
hearts in the world of entertainment. At home Abb was known to support
numerous charities such as: Historical Jonesboro, the Clayton Performing
Arts Center, Arts Clayton & many others.

Gave side service held on July 21, 2016 at 10:00 am. at Forrest Hills
Memorial Park in Forrest Hills, GA. Wheeler Funeral Home in Coventington
in charge of arrangements ph. 770-786-7111.

[Dave Dorsett]

I only had the fortune to meet with Abb once in person but we had a good correspondence by letter (remember those?) and phone in the early Nineties. He not only bought from us but was very generous with advice and suggestions on our product line.

During our work with Sid Radner on the USD miniatures we produced, Abb also gave us access to his version of the Cell that was used in the Paul Michael Glaser "Houdini" telefilm... extremely kind of him, even if there was little we could take away from his version (given how it was built).

A very kind, funny man... this is happening much too frequently now.

Recquiescat in Pace, Abb.