‘America’s Got Talent’ Magician Scott Alexander Dead at 52: ‘We Are Shattered,’ Says Wife
Scott Alexander, the dynamic magician who competed on season 6 of America’s Got Talent, has died. He was 52.
Alexander’s wife of 24 years, Jenny, announced the tragic news in a post on Instagram Monday, revealing that her husband died after suffering a stroke.
“I lost my husband yesterday,” she wrote alongside a photo of the duo and their three children — Jack, 18, Roxy, 17, and Sawyer, 13.
“My kids lost their father. He suffered a stroke while working on a cruise ship in St. Kitts and did not make it home to us,” she continued. “We are shattered. Please hold us in your prayers.”
Alexander first wowed judges Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and Piers Morgan in 2011 when appeared on AGT and made his assistant (wife Jenny) appear out of thin air. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Following his appearance on the show, Alexander went on to perform on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, a magic competition series in which magicians perform in front of illusionists Penn & Teller, as well as The Oprah Winfrey Show, according to a GoFundMe Page started on behalf of Alexander’s family.
“He has performed countless shows in theaters and auditoriums….from years of headlining at Caesar’s Palace on the Las Vegas strip to Cruise ships sailing across the world,” the page reads. “Not to mention the little Auditorium of a small rural school to assist in fundraising for a new track. Scott Alexander is one of the most respected names within the magic scene.”
On the fundraiser, organizer Ashley DeStephano also detailed what kind of person Alexander was, beyond his “star magician” persona.
“Those within this circle knew him as a good man, a loving Husband, a caring Father. A Family man. The Dad who helped with homecoming parade floats, science projects, Halloween costumes, his kids’ talent show school performances,” she said. “We sat next to him during band and chorus concerts, stopped to say a quick hello during school events or talked along the sidelines of a sports field while watching our children play. He very clearly loved his family, his wife, and his three children.”
According to DeStephano, Alexander was transferred to an intensive care unit at a hospital in St. Kitts after suffering the stroke, but sadly did not survive.
“In a tragic turn of events, while working on a Cruise ship, Scott suffered a stroke,” she wrote. “He was transferred to a nearby hospital in St. Kitts where he was receiving intensive care, but it is with the heaviest of hearts that I share that Scott Alexander did not make it home to his family. Unexpected, sudden … Scott’s family and friends are struggling to process how this could be real and are purely devastated.”
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She concluded: “Their family dynamic, which was created and grown together in love, has so quickly changed. As you can certainly imagine, Scott’s family is simply crushed by this tragic turn of events within the last 3 days. We hope to bring the community together to help support Jenny and the kids, giving them time to process and grieve this tremendous loss. The money collected will go directly to Jenny to help with anything they may need for the foreseeable future, as well as their children’s future.”
Those interested in donating to Alexander’s family can do so here.