Tommy Wonder Mourned..

It has just been reported that the highly talented and respected Tommy Wonder of the Netherlands has passed away after a short battle with cancer.

Here are a few excerpts from Tommy's website at: http://www.tommywonder.nl/


"After winning a national talent contest which was televised in The Netherlands in 1977, his career really took off. At first specializing in table-magic, with which he won a second prize at the World Championships of Magic in 1979."

"Soon magicians all over the world became interested in his work, and many invitations to perform at magical conventions started coming in up until today."

"The largest trade magazine "MAGIC", elected Tommy Wonder as one of the very few European magicians who had the most influence on American magic in the last century."


And this from Wikipedia...


"Tommy Wonder is the stage name of Jacobus Maria Bemelman (born 1953), a Dutch magician who performs both close-up and stage magic. Wonder has performed in Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and on Fox television.

Wonder developed an interest in conjuring at an early age. He studied acting, dancing and singing for three years at the Academie voor Podiumvorming (Performance Academy) in The Hague and subsequently toured for two years with De Haagsche Comedie. In 1979, Wonder took second prize at the World Championships of Magic. He was again awarded with the same prize in 1988.

As Wonder designs and develops all of his repertoire himself, he is championed with high reputation amongst colleagues of magic. Wonder's 1996 two-volume The Books of Wonder are highly acclaimed within the magic community.

In 1998 Wonder received the Performer Fellowship Award from the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. In 1999, he was awarded Best Sleight of Hand Performer from the World Magic Awards.

Tommy Wonder died on June 26, 2006 after a brief battle with lung cancer. His loss to the magic community is truly immeasurable..."