David Blaine is no stranger to walking the line between life and death — but the magician isn’t doing any life-threatening stunts this year for one particularly dark reason.
“I’m superstitious and don’t want to do any death-defying stunts this year because I am 52 years old, and Harry Houdini and other magicians that I looked up to died at that age,” Blaine reveals exclusively in his 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me feature in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
Houdini, one of the most famous illusionists and stunt performers of all time, died at age 52 on Halloween in 1926 after suffering a ruptured appendix.
Other famous magicians who have died at the same age include Doug Henning and America’s Got Talent’s Scott Alexander.
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While we may not be seeing Blaine pushing his luck until his 53rd birthday on April 4, 2026, the magician’s latest series, Do Not Attempt, is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu.
Keep scrolling for more shocking anecdotes from Blaine, including his experience performing for Arnold Schwarzenegger:
1. I’ve been doing magic since I was 5 years old, and that was always my dream. No matter what I was doing, I always had a deck of cards in my pocket.
2. My final stunt will [involve] low oxygen, flying balloons, fasting for an extended period and being in a tight space.
3. My favorite comfort meal was pizza from Di Fara Pizza. It was heaven in Brooklyn.
4. My first job was as a busboy in a diner.
5. I’m superstitious and don’t want to do any death-defying stunts this year because I am 52 years old, and Harry Houdini and other magicians that I looked up to died at that age.
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6. One of the highlights of growing up in Brooklyn was walking through the park with my mother and learning.
7. The most terrifying moment of my life was while filming Do Not Attempt, when I sat in a room with a conservationist named Neville and six black mambas in South Africa.
8. My most embarrassing moment while performing was when I was 18, and I jumped on stage [at] a comedy shop and messed up a trick. I didn’t go back on stage to do magic for many years.
9. I carry a little book that my daughter made for me everywhere that I go, and the final page says, “God is love.”
10. One of my greatest possessions is my mom’s journals. They’re very moving, full of passion and important to me.
11. I’m a motorcycle person and I bought my first one before I could even ride properly.
12. [The late] Michael Jackson is the most famous person in my phone book. I never erased his number.
13. My most starstruck moment was when I performed for Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was a tough audience, but by the end of my trick he slammed the cards down on the table, yelled and surprised everyone.
14. I was obsessed with Sinead O’Connor and Juliette Lewis.
15. My Guinness Book World Record certificate for breath-holding is in my room of magic things that I’ve collected throughout my life.
16. I was lucky to have such a great role model in my mother. She treated all people equally and had a beautiful viewpoint on the world.
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17. The highlight of my career was flying away with the balloons [for the live David Blaine: Ascension project in 2020] with my daughter there.
18. “Funkytown” brings back the best memories because my mother bought me the record and we’d dance all over to it. Now, my daughter uses it in her [gymnastics] routines.
19. I’ve watched The Fugitive so many times and on every flight.
20. My favorite thing to do on the weekend is spend time with my daughter.
21. I recently extended my David Blaine: Live In Las Vegas residency at the Wynn Las Vegas and I’m always trying to make it better, which hopefully will never end.
22. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned came from a dear friend of mine [who told me to] always try to surround yourself with people who will inspire you and help you grow.
23. To get into the right headspace before embarking on a dangerous stunt, I become passionate about it. Then, I go through a very slow learning process — where I’m careful and diligent — and surrounded by a great safety team and experts. Basically, I baby-step it.
24. I don’t have any secret talents — I’m pretty awkward and clumsy when it comes to any other form of functionality.
25. The one show that I’ve binge-watched the most was Breaking Bad.
