Well-known magician found dead at Magic Castle

A man was found dead Friday night at the Magic Castle, an exclusive private club in Hollywood that offers fine dining and magic shows.

The Magic Castle identified the man as Daryl Easton, a well-known magician who performed at the venue last week.

In a statement, the Magic Castle said Easton was an award-winning magician and that police had told the organization that he took his own life.

He had “40 years of experience in both performing and selling the finest magic in the world. Daryl performed as a headline act at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for seven years fine tuning his already encyclopedic knowledge of magic,� the statement said. “Daryl has performed literally thousands of shows for audiences as diverse as the Witch Doctors on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu to the movers and shakers of the political world at the Presidential Ball in Washington, D.C.�

The Magic Castle, which opened in 1963, bills itself as “the most extraordinary private club in the world where history, art and elegance combine to make miracles.�

Guests must be invited or accompanied by a member and are required to adhere to a strict dress code.

Kelsey Peterjohn of Studio City had been looking forward to her first visit to the Castle on Friday but was instead met with a congested scene of police cars, a firetruck and an ambulance.

“There was a line kind of out the door of people waiting outside, and they were turned away,� she said.

Peterjohn, 24, said her group had planned to watch their friend, a magician, perform a show.

“No one seemed panicked, really, but I saw lots of security and managers whispering to each other, and they were walking around all over the place,� said Samantha Acampora, 27, of Hollywood.

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UPDATES:

12:35 p.m.: This article has been updated with the man’s identity and a longer statement from the Magic Castle.

Feb. 25, 7:45 a.m.: This article has been updated with Magic Castle statement.

10:45 p.m.: This article was updated with information from a patron inside the Magic Castle.

9:35 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes from a woman planning on attending a show at the Magic Castle.

This article was originally published at Feb. 24 at 9:30 p.m.